The Fallout or How Tony Found His Confidence
by NCIS-Fan10802
Summary: How would a really confident Tony change the world of NCIS through the years. Please read the Authors Note. Rating changed recently. Mostly OOC for Gibbs and DiNozzo. Will maybe get a little bit slash in the future. But for now just friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own them or the mentioned storylines.

Authors Note:

I really didn't plan to write fan fiction myself. But I love a really confident Tony and would like to know, what would change between Tony and the team if he would show his superiority towards Kate, McGee and later on Ziva from early on. Would he let Jeffrey White get to him the way he did, if he would be confident in his thinking? Would Kate be the snob, she was in the show? Would he let Ziva do to him, what she did? Would he let Sheppard do the things she did? You get the picture.

I read many fics were Tony is confident, but always later on. I loved the fics, don't get me wrong. But what I really liked to read, I didn't find. So here I am.

I would also like to find a good beta. English isn't my first language, so I'm doomed to make mistakes. So if you feel up to it, please pm me. I would like for you to also love Tony to be confident and you shouldn't be offended be same sex relationships.

I did need a beginning, so I thought about the earliest incident, where Tony could have shown how confident and well educated he really is. So I started in season one. If you found a fic with similar approach, please let me know. I don't want to plagiarize.

So now let the fic begin.

Chapter 1

Anthony „Tony" DiNozzo was sick of it. It happened almost three weeks ago. But his partner Caitlin "Kate" Todd just wouldn't shut up. Every time he tried to joke with her and the on-and-of agent Tim McGee she thought it a good idea to bring it up.

He told her to stop it. For once he didn't try to suck it up. He went to Kate and seriously told her how much it hurt. He tried to make her see, what she didn't want to see.

He lost a good friend because nobody had time this day. How many times Chris wanted to talk to him or Gibbs he didn't count. Then they had forgotten about Chris and the next day the worst happened. The MCRT got called to a homicide, the cruelest sight he could imagine. And just because he didn't listen, Chris was the victim of a very sick person.

Later the next day they found out about the woman. Sure, Tony had fun on the stakeout, all the little jokes with Tim and the snooping around. But of course he couldn't just do how he was told by Gibbs. He had to try and make contact with the woman. Maybe, just maybe if he had followed Gibbs' order everything would have been alright. But he didn't listen and all went to hell. He was humiliated by himself and Gibbs had to shoot the murderer.

Maybe he would have survived the day emotionally, maybe he would have gotten over it, but with Kate around it wasn't a possibility. She didn't listen, just like all the other times he tried to be the serious person he was. Sure, he didn't show it much because he tried to have fun and make others laugh, but he could be the mature Anthony DiNozzo, with the high IQ and the degrees. Maybe the mention of his Phys Ed degree had been a mistake. Ever since then Kate could be downright mean.

The day he tried to talk with Kate, he wanted her to see his other achievements and his mature side. So he invited her to his apartment. The hurt he felt by her snide remarks about his "dorm room with mirrors on the ceiling" he could swallow, but when she refused to listen to him in the conference room also he couldn't help it. He just told her how much she hurt him every time she brought it up. He told her, he didn't have a problem to kiss a man, but to kiss the murderer of his friend. How he tried to forget it, how the nights he dreamt about it, he would get sick and barely make it to the bathroom.

He really hoped to make Kate understand just how drained he felt ever since then.

For the next few days she didn't mention it, but today she had to bring it up. Just because he told her and Tim about a date he had the night before. And the worst part? Everybody thought it was funny.

So now, here he is. In Gibbs' basement, without the slightest idea how to handle the situation. Maybe he should have listened to Gibbs and cancel the frat boy act.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a few DVDs.

Warning: **Gibbs is way OOC**. For me Gibbs is a man, who is so strong in character that for him to stop living doesn't make sense. I think he would have honored Shan and Kels by living his life just the way they would have done. Don't get me wrong, he loves them, always will, but in my world he wouldn't hide them and pretend they don't exist.

A/N: I would like to thank my beta Arress. She did a great job with this chapter.

I also would like to thank you all for your great reviews. I didn't think, there would be just one person, who would like to read a story, that begins in season one again. So THANK YOU

And now, on with the story.

The Fallout

Chapter 2

For the last hour, give or take, Tony sat on the stairs in Gibbs' basement and watched him sanding. It seems he couldn't bring himself to talk to Gibbs. The beer he brought with him was gone and now he just watched.

Gibbs thought about the situation his friend was in. Should he ask Tony or wait for him to speak?

Contrary to Kate and Tim, he could see the hurt in Tony's eyes as clear as if it was his own. Maybe it was this way because of his feelings toward Tony. Since Baltimore he liked and admired Tony, and over the last three years the feelings had grown to a deep love.

Sometimes Gibbs would feel disappointed because Tony happened to be his second and Gibbs would never try and pursue a relationship with the man. Rule 12 and a thousand other reasons backed him up. But for the most time he was happy to have Tony's friendship and ignored the deeper feelings.

Ever since Kate joined the team, he could feel the reservation Tony developed towards everybody. In the beginning Gibbs thought it based on jealousy over Kate's arrival, but with time he thought for sure, Tony could see the difference in Gibbs' treatment and would know his position on the team and in Gibbs' life wasn't threatened. But now Gibbs wasn't so sure anymore.

For one he had seen Kate's behavior towards Tony didn't change after her beginning on the team. Gibbs thought the superior feelings she had for Tony were a one-time thing, because she was secret service and tried to be the boss and all. But while she showed her flaws in the way she stood above all except Gibbs and while she had to resign because of her errors in professionalism, she seems to think of herself as better in everything than Tony.

Gibbs asked Tony about it. His second has to train new members of the team and Gibbs tried to make sure Tony could handle Kate's behavior. In the beginning Gibbs could see Tony's methods as good ways to rein Kate in and help her get accustomed to everything. She tried to listen, but more and more she would ignore it in the long run.

On many occasions Gibbs almost regretted the day he hired Kate for his team. She would be almost insubordinate and just try and get Tony to feel bad for his 'lack of achievements'.

Gibbs talked to Tony about it and hoped he would cancel the act of the immature frat boy and just show Kate his real self, but Tony wouldn't change his behavior.

On a few occasions he could see Kate's behavior getting a new meaning. Every time Tim McGee would help with a case because Tony didn't get all the answers on the computer, she would treat Tony with barely hidden arrogance.

After the mention of Tony's Phys Ed degree, the situation got worse. And Gibbs hoped Tony would come to him and discuss it, but nothing happened, and then Chris Pacci died, and Tony barely survived emotionally.

The last three weeks had been hell for Gibbs. First, he had to watch Tony kiss a (wo)man and then he had to watch Kate treat Tony with almost disgust at times. On Friday Tony talked with Kate. Gibbs didn't know what Tony told Kate, but for the last two days, Kate backed off.

But today was the last straw. Today was the first time Gibbs regretted having hired Kate in the first place.

Because of today's events, both Gibbs and Tony are here in Gibbs' basement, and neither knew how to start and make it right again.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a few DVDs.

Warning: Gibbs still is OOC and I don't think it will change.

A/N: I would like to thank my beta Arress. She did a great job again.

Thanks to all of you for the great reviews.

Guest: You wrote that Tony never sees the hurt of other, but the others are bad when they don't see his. My story is not about the hurt to be seen, but about the hurt others inflict on him intentionally.

And now, on with the story.

Chapter 3

Today was the worst day in a long time for Tony, and tonight he sat in Gibbs' basement and didn't know how to start a conversation about Kate and his feelings of deep hurt and utter disappointment about everything that's happened.

"Gibbs?"

Finally, Gibbs thought. "Yes?"

"What can I do?" Tony certainly hoped he wouldn't have to elaborate further, because breaking down in front of Gibbs sure wasn't what he planned to do, if he could help it.

Gibbs could see the strain the day had on Tony and he didn't like it one little bit. Maybe first he should take care of Tony and tomorrow they could talk.

"Do you want to talk about it now? You could sure use a good night's sleep. Maybe we should talk tomorrow. You can crash here. The bed in the guest room has fresh sheets."

"Every other day I would say yes, but I wouldn't get any sleep right now anyway. Tell me what to do, please." The last word was almost inaudible, but Gibbs heard it. Every other person would have been shocked by the plea, but thanks to their friendship, Gibbs did know Tony's real personality. So he took it as it was meant.

"Will you listen to me this time?" Gibbs asked in order to make sure Tony knew about the importance of the talk they would have. "We talked before, and you didn't think it was a good idea then."

"I know…" Tony groaned. "I should have listened to you, but I really thought Kate would drop it after a while. If I had known the way things would go, I sure as hell wouldn't have tried to be friends with her." Please Gibbs, just help me, Tony thought. He did know that he wouldn't like most what Gibbs had to say, but he was determined to try everything Gibbs could think of.

"Tony, this didn't just occur in the last three weeks. Kate hasn't treated you right since she started with NCIS. I know you've almost lived in hell since Pacci's death, but this goes deeper than that. I really think you should have been yourself since the beginning, and I believe it's not too late for that to happen. But you would have to drop the frat boy persona. I really don't understand why you thought it was a good idea in the first place."

Tony was taken aback. He wouldn't have thought of Gibbs as one to see the little things between people. He saw everything in a case, but he usually didn't pay attention to relationships between co-workers. His last probie was proof of that. Gibbs didn't mind the hostility Tony got, but maybe Gibbs knew the agent wouldn't last long enough to have any lasting effects.

"Gibbs, Kate was so stiff in every way; you would have broken her in a week. And I really liked her in the beginning, so I tried to lighten her up so she would stay. And it worked in Baltimore and Philly. But maybe you were right. Too much frat boy and too little seriousness."

Gibbs could see Tony regretted the way he had played his part, but he could also see Tony's grief about the friendship he couldn't really establish with Kate.

"I don't know, Tony. Maybe with every other person this would have worked. With this McGee guy I think this would work really well, but Kate didn't think too much of you to begin with. And I don't think you did something wrong. She tried to overrule me in Air Force One, too. I think she could just see your pretty face and pegged you as... I don't know what."

Tony was baffled. Gibbs said pretty face, right? Did that mean he thought of Tony as pretty? Hold on a sec: She tried to overrule Gibbs? How could she?

"Why didn't you tell me? I would definitely have tried a more serious way to approach her."

Gibbs had to bear down his craving to head slap Tony. He just did that in the office nowadays.

"Tony, we talked about Kate more than once. I didn't tell you straight out, but I sure thought me asking you how you felt about her and everything would be a huge giveaway. Anyway, I don't think you just switching from one person to the other would help much after all this shit. She would try to poke you in every way just so she could show you her superiority. There has to be more, you know?"

"What do you mean by more? Should I show her my file to prove to her I have the experience to be your SFA?"

"No, Tony, you don't have to prove anything. I was thinking more along the line of showing her the chain of command again. She seems to forget her FLETC training every time you two interact or when other agents are around. I think a training session with the two of us scheduled by me would help. And you should stop interfering every time I reprimand her. You can't always redirect my moods onto you. I know I'm hard to bear at times, but you don't need to save her from me. She'll never see her own mistakes if you get in the way every time I try and teach her."

Tony didn't understand Gibbs anymore. Did he try to undermine him? Gibbs hated teaching the probies. Why would he start with Kate now if he thought Tony was good enough to do the job?

"But, Gibbs, what if she wants to leave? I don't want to be the reason for that. And didn't you tell me when I became your SFA that I have to teach the probies everything? How would it look to Kate when you interfere with my methods? You know that wouldn't change a thing."

By now Gibbs was sitting next to Tony on the stairs. He was no longer in the mood to work on the boat. Tony's questions certainly told him just how much Kate got under Tony's skin. He hadn't been this unsure of himself in the beginning of his own FLETC training. His whole posture screamed defeat. He sat there with his arms around his knees and couldn't look Gibbs in the eyes anymore.

"Tony, you know very well that I looked the other way with all the teasing because you almost begged me to let it go. But I can't stand it anymore. Every time I join you in the bullpen and out in the field I hear the last snippets of her comments about you. And the more I hear, the more I want to tackle her and show her just how much you do for her and how smart you are. I sure as hell won't ignore it anymore. You said yourself, in Baltimore and Philly your image worked, but if you're honest, one reason you didn't stay longer in both positions was because no one thought of you as competent anymore and tried to belittle you. I'm not saying it's your fault it all happened the way it did, but maybe you should try and find a way in between how you really are and the way you like to be with friends.

"And I don't want to interfere with your methods. I think you do a very good job. The way McGee doesn't faint anymore the minute I speak to him shows it. But Kate has to learn you are her superior and accept it. And I think for that to happen, the second 'b' for bastard has to come out to show her that I stand behind you." The last comment Gibbs spoke with a smirk on his face.

Halfway through Gibbs' speech, Tony looked at him as he tried to understand Gibbs' arguments better. Sure, Tony did know that Kate thought of him as an inconvenience at most times, but to admit to Gibbs just how much that bothered him was rather difficult. But maybe Gibbs was right. Maybe he needed help to establish himself as the confident person he liked to be. It sure as hell bothered Tony a lot that he needed help, but he also liked the idea of Gibbs as his supporter.

"Okay, fine. Gibbs, I really would like for you to help me to rein Kate in, again. But please tell me what you're going to do before you do it. I would like to be read in on your plans. And thank you for the show of confidence. I don't think I've heard a lot of that in the past."

Tony really meant it and when Gibbs looked at him, he could see a little spark of the Tony he met three years prior. But what he could see the most was how exhausted Tony was feeling.

"I'll tell you what. You go on and get some sleep in the guest room and tomorrow we'll talk over breakfast about any plans I come up with, okay?"

"Sounds good, Gibbs, thanks." With that Tony stood up, grabbed the empty beer bottles and went upstairs.

Gibbs could hear him all the way up to the guest room and thought about how much noise Tony was making. Usually he could sneak around almost as silently as Gibbs, so for him to be loud enough to be heard told Gibbs just how exhausted Tony really was.

Gibbs sat for a long time there on the steps of his basement and thought about ways to establish the chain in command he wanted to see on his team. He didn't think about Tony in his house and the way he made it feel like a home again. No, he didn't think about that at all.

TBC

Author's Note: I will soon start to write about individual episodes. If you have one, you really would like to read, please tell me which one and why. I can't garantee that I will write it, but I would consider it. Thanks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a really great Thank You to everyone who reviewed, follows or clicked favorite. You are great.

**Warnings:** Gibbs and Tony will be OOC most times. And I didn't think, I had to do this yet, but there will be mentions of slash. So, if you don't like it, please don't read any further.

Please leave me reviews. I really like to know what you think.

Chapter 4

If anyone had asked Tony, he would say that Tuesday came way too soon. He didn't sleep much that night, because every now and then he woke up from really strange dreams.

After he went to bed the night before, he lay awake for a long time and thought about the way things had gone in the past three weeks, and how he could have prevented most of them. The first dream had to be the incident itself, with the result of him barely making it to the bathroom, again.

When he calmed down enough to try and fall asleep again, he dreamt about his future and how things might happen if he remained the clown and frat boy he showed to the world now. Another situation he would mark as a nightmare. After he startled awake, he swore to himself that he wouldn't let this happen.

And so it went on. He would fall asleep just to startle awake again after the next horrible dream. Everything made an appearance. His past in Peoria and the not so nice behavior of his colleagues when they found out about his 'heritage', his time in Philly and his efforts to try and cover his past, which resulted in him having to resign. The most gruesome dream about his past had been the time he worked in Baltimore. The way the chief reacted, the behavior of his so-called friends, Wendy's betrayal. When he woke the final time, he thanked all the powers that be for the dawning of sun.

After he took care of business in the bathroom, he stumbled down the stairs only to find Gibbs already awake and ready to go. "Did you sleep at all, Gibbs?"

"Good morning to you, too, Tony. And yes, I actually slept. Grab a cup of coffee and sit down. Breakfast is almost ready." With that said Gibbs turned his attention to the stove and saved the pancakes from an early death as charcoal.

After he eyed Gibbs for a few seconds, Tony grabbed his coffee (Gibbs had stocked up on sugar and cream since Tony had first slept over in his house), and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Thank you and good morning to you, too." If Gibbs had seen the contrite look on Tony's face, he would have had to stifle a laugh.

The breakfast itself was a rather quiet affair. Both men were lost in their own thoughts. After he finished his meal, Tony wanted to approach Gibbs, but as usual the man was faster.

"Tony?"

"Hm?"

"Are you ready to talk?" That question brought him a rather anxious look from Tony.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for the changes it will bring, but go on. I want to know what your plans are." After a second or two Tony looked Gibbs in the eye to make sure his boss could see his determination to change things.

Gibbs on the other hand really hoped this was the last time he would see Tony that unsure of himself.

"Okay, first of all, I've already called Tom to take us off rotation. I had to explain a little bit why, but for the rest of the week we're on cold cases. And yes, I know it's only Tuesday, but calm down. I don't like them anymore than you do.

"So, about my plans," Gibbs continued. "I would like for you and Kate to work your own cases. I know it's unusual, but hear me out. I want to give Kate one of our solved cases. I'll fix it so it seems that it's without any apparent lead. You can give her advice if she needs it and actually comes to you. But before that, I arranged for Conference Room One to be our place for the schooling session I have planned. Again, Morrow knows about it. He thinks the reason is 'team bonding' in a more superficial way.

"I already thought about our cases prior to Kate and I'd like to give her the case we closed right before the Trapp case on Air Force One."

The sparkle in Tony's eyes was almost too much. Just to see Tony look that way again was worth the effort.

"Really? What did you do? Please tell me," Tony begged.

Gibbs had to chuckle. That was going better than he hoped so far. "You know the hunch you had, about the reason? I removed that and everything after that."

"Oh, Gibbs, that's cruel. You know very well we wouldn't have closed the case in any other way. How do you think Kate will finish it? She couldn't see what's beyond her nose if her life depended on it."

The knowing look Gibbs had on his face after this statement had a hint of mischief in it.

"Oh, so you set her up to fail. Wow, I didn't think you would go that far. What happens if she catches it too soon? And will you tell Abby the plans? You know she was very invested in the case herself. Without her I wouldn't have gotten said hunch."

"I know. I already plan to talk with her. I'll go to her the first thing after we get to the Yard. Have things changed between you and her?" Gibbs had to ask. "After all she bonded with Kate really fast." Given the whole situation, he wouldn't be surprised if Abby sided with Kate. Sometimes she could be too dense for her own good.

For just a moment Tony looked rather uncertain, but then he told Gibbs the truth.

"You know, just after Kate started, I thought Abby treated me a little differently. You know, sometimes I see her as the little sister I would have liked to have had. But one evening I went to her and we talked. She admitted that she tried to befriend Kate and when they talked, she agreed with Kate most of the time. One thing was the view Kate had of me at the beginning. Abby apologized. You probably noticed the half a dozen black roses I got from her, and since then she's been treating me with the same exuberant kindness she showed before. So for me, everything is alright with Abby.

"Now, I'll go shower and then we have to go. It would be difficult to explain why both of us are late. On the second thought, why don't you go already?" With that Tony brought his coffee mug in the sink, rinsed it and put in the dishwasher.

"Okay, go on and shower. I'll go now. Bring coffee with you." With a light cheeky grin, Gibbs made his way to his car and drove off.

For just one second Tony stopped before he reached the stairs and thought about Gibbs and his attempt to make things right for him. Then he shook himself to awareness and went on with his tasks.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a really great Thank You for your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great.

**Warnings:** Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

Chapter 5

Gibbs arrived at the Navy Yard half an hour early, even though he stopped for coffee on the way in. As he parked his car, he could see Abby's old-timer already in the parking lot, so Gibbs went directly to her lab after he got her the hopefully first CafPow! of the day.

The noise that greeted him was deafening. After all these years, he still couldn't understand the tantrum Abby threw every time somebody stopped her so-called music. Nevertheless, after he put Abby's beverage on her desk, he went to the CD player and instead of shooting the offending item, he merely unplugged the power.

For just one moment he thought Abby might try and kill him before she registered just who her early visitor was.

"Oh, good morning, Gibbs. What can I do for you, my fearless leader? Do you have a case already? Where are Tony and Kate? They're both okay, right? Please, tell me nothing happened."

The rapidity in which Abby's questions came out frightened Gibbs just a little, and not that he ever planned on telling anyone, but sometimes he feared she would choke on that many words spilling out all at once.

"Good morning, Abby. First things first. Nothing happened. Everybody is alright. Nobody is hurt. I don't know where they are, but given the time, I sure hope they're on their way in. And no, we don't have a case. But you can do something for me, or rather not do.

"You know the last couple of weeks were rather difficult for Tony, and a big part of that was due to Kate." The moment he saw Abby start to speak, he silenced her. "Abby, let me speak first. So, as I told you, Tony has had a bad time since the Voss incident. As you know, Kate could be really difficult for Tony to work with ever since she started with NCIS. But in the last three weeks, she has been a real bitch towards him. Yesterday broke the camel's back. I didn't hear everything, but I heard enough to know Tony has had enough. Last Friday, Tony talked with Kate to let her know just how much she hurts him every time she brings up Voss and over the weekend all went well, but yesterday she again overstepped every line set by Tony or NCIS."

This time he wasn't fast enough to stop Abby from talking.

"Gibbs, what did she do? She promised me she wouldn't bring Voss up again. You know, we talk, right? We actually talked over the phone Friday night and she told me what Tony said to her. When I asked her why she had to bring it up, and she told me about some guy she knew in college who Tony reminded her of. After I let her know just what I thought of such cheap behavior, she promised me, Gibbs." Abby looked Gibbs in the eyes. "So tell me, Gibbs, what did she do?"

After her rant Gibbs was very glad that Tony could straighten things out with her. He didn't want to think of the way everything could go if she had sided with Kate. Reining Kate in would be hard enough.

"She brought up Voss again and had to involve McGee, too. I'm just glad he didn't say something to make it harder for Tony. Kate's behavior was bad enough.

"Anyway, Tony and I are going to mend the rift amongst our team over the next week. For that to happen I decided, among other things, to give Kate a case Tony and I closed right before she came along. I want you to keep quiet as long as Kate doesn't ask for your help. And then you will not help her except for the evidence itself. This is Kate's last chance to stay on the team, so try your hardest not to give anything away."

Now Abby looked rather unsure of herself. She couldn't lie even if her life depended on it. Could she keep her knowledge a secret from Kate? But one thought about the hurt Tony had to undergo from a colleague was enough to strengthen her will to do it.

"Alright, Gibbs, I'll try my best to help her without saying what I actually know about the case."

"Thanks, Abby, I have to go now. Look on your desk." With that Gibbs was gone.

For a little moment Abby stood there and thought about the whole thing and what it would mean if Kate didn't learn anything this week. She really hoped Kate would see her errors and try to make amends. With that in mind she went to her desk to get her CafPow!.

The drive to work was actually a pleasant experience for Tony. For once he didn't get stuck in traffic and made it in at a decent time. So he decided the required coffee for Gibbs and the one for himself could come from the coffeehouse rather than the coffee stand.

After he arrived in the bullpen and placed one coffee on Gibbs' desk, he went to his own to get ready for the day. Given that Gibbs wasn't there yet and Kate hadn't shown up either, he went through the report he had abandoned the day before.

A few minutes later Kate joined him, and for once she tried to be nice. For Tony this was almost too much to bear after yesterday. But he was the last person who would try and change a thing.

And it was the right thing to do, because when Gibbs came back from Abby's lab, Kate's mood went straight to hell.

Gibbs told them both about the team-bonding session and the fact that each of them had to reevaluate a cold case of their own. While Tony already knew about that, he had sure hoped that Gibbs would use a more gentle way of breaking the news to Kate.

But Gibbs being Gibbs came into the bullpen and barked out rather gruffly, "You both are on cold cases and at ten hundred hours there will be a teaching session in Conference Room One. Get going." With that he slapped one file on Kate's desk, one on Tony's desk, and then went to god knows where, although Tony would bet on the morgue.

Just after the elevator doors closed on their team leader, Kate began her rant about how unfair it was that she had to review a cold case of her own, that she didn't want to go to the conference room at ten and that she would rather go in the field where the proper cases were. She also mentioned the cold case teams and that she didn't want to do their work.

Sometimes Tony asked himself just why Kate stayed at NCIS, because half the time she complained.

And maybe the confidence booster he received from Gibbs the night before just kicked in, because Tony proceeded to tell Kate to get over it and get going as Gibbs had ordered in a tone that no one in their right mind would object to.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a great Thank You for your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great. To all of you who reviewed anonymous: I really would have loved to say thanks properly and answer you, but I can't. So thanks to you, too.

**Warnings:** This chapter contains slight character bashing. So if you really love Kate, please skip this and maybe the next two chapters. But bear in mind, this story isn't about bashing Kate but about Tony's confidence, so she will live. Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

Chapter 6

With ten minutes to spare Kate went to Conference Room One, still very deep in thought about Tony's order and her reaction to it. She actually followed it. How could a dumb jock make her follow orders to begin with? Maybe she should have a talk with Gibbs about how impossible Tony acted towards her. Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by the man himself.

"Hey, Kate, are you going to go in there or just stand in the doorway until Gibbs shows up?" Tony thought of himself as a patient person, but after five minutes he couldn't wait any longer and had to say something.

After Kate's almost inaudible answer, they both went into the room and sat down. Kate was already lost in her thoughts again and didn't see Tony's face.

Tony could barely hide his strain. He didn't believe Kate thought he could hear her, but with his exceptional hearing he could. He actually wished he hadn't. This most recent encounter again revealed just why this week was necessary.

When Gibbs entered the conference room right on time, he discovered the rather dull mood his team was in. After one look at Tony, he didn't have to ask what happened. For just one second he asked himself if it was worth the effort, but he blocked this line of thinking and went on to get a cup of coffee from the coffee maker, which he had set to brew to his taste half an hour earlier.

After he had what he wanted, he sat down and waited. When nothing happen for a few moments, first Tony and then Kate looked up.

Tony was the first to speak. "Boss, what are we waiting for?"

"I asked one more person to join us. He'll be here soon."

"And who would…" The opening door interrupted Tony and a rather frightened McGee entered the room and took a seat on the chair farthest away from Gibbs.

"McGee, what are you doing here?" If Tony had not been so curious about why the agent was there in the first place, he would have thought that the distressed expression he saw on McGee's face was funny.

"I … I don't know, Tony … I mean, Agent DiNozzo … sir."

The last word earned him a disbelieving look from Kate, but he ignored it and tried his best to appear invisible to Gibbs' stern look.

"Well, McGee, maybe I can help with that. We're here to learn about the changes I'm making within the team. You've already worked with us and will probably work with us again, so you need to know about the changes, too."

After hearing that, McGee was very relieved because he realized he hadn't done anything to offend the intimidating man.

Meanwhile, Kate's mind worked on high speed as she processed what she had heard. What changes did Gibbs mean? Was there a chance? Would he really make her his new SFA? Her probation period was over two months ago and she already had a few chances to show Gibbs her superior skills. Maybe he was finally sick of Tony and his obnoxious behavior and planned to get rid of him. Kate was so far gone, she almost didn't hear what Gibbs said next.

"In the last few months I and some other agents have noticed a change in mood and behavior within our team; changes which I especially don't like. It went as far as insubordination, and that's something I can't accept or overlook." He turned his attention to the most junior agent present. "McGee, do you know the chain of command this team has to follow?"

McGee swallowed audibly and went on to explain. "Yes, Agent Gibbs. Well, you are the SSA, Tony … I mean Agent DiNozzo is the SFA and Agent Todd is the junior agent. You don't have a probationary agent." With a slight gesture Gibbs told him to go on.

"You tell your agents what to do and they do it. If you are not present, your SFA is in charge. Agent Todd and every probie or agent-on-loan has to follow your or Agent DiNozzo's orders."

During McGee's explanation, Gibbs observed Kate. Her expression changed from mildly interested to disbelieving to irritated with every word McGee said.

"Kate, you seem to be rather bemused. You had to learn this in your FLETC training. So, why are you so irritated?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"Oh, come on, Gibbs. I know you call the shots and we have to follow your orders, but Tony in charge? That's a disaster waiting to happen. You can't expect me to do anything he says. No offence, Tony, but you are not a decent enough agent to know what the right thing to do is at times."

The silence was deafening following Kate's words. The feelings of the other agents went from over-impressed fascination from McGee because of the courage it took to speak to Gibbs like that, to disbelieving hurt from Tony, to barely contained anger from Gibbs.

Seeing the looks on the men's faces, Kate continued, "What? Gibbs, you can't possibly think he does a good job. You have to reprimand him every day just to get him to do his job, so you certainly can't expect us to follow his orders. We would end up in the gutter."

When he heard Kate's words, Tony became almost as white as a ghost. He stood suddenly and left the room. By the time he was gone, Gibbs really wanted to throttle Kate for the things she had said, but the need to make sure Tony was alright took precedence.

"Of all the stupid things you could have said, it had to be that. We'll speak about it, Kate. You two stay right here." With that, Gibbs went to search for Tony.

When the door closed, McGee looked at Kate and pondered over his wish to say something. The slight anger he felt ever since Kate told Tony he wasn't a good agent won.

"You know, Kate, you shouldn't have said that. Maybe I don't work regularly with this team, but on the occasions I have, Tony showed that he's very good at what he does." The annoyed look he got for his words angered him more, and he began to wonder just why Kate was on the team in the first place.

"What do you know about the daily things that happen on the team? You aren't even a probie yet. Do you really think you have the right to say anything?" With that, Kate got up to grab a cup of coffee for herself.

McGee, however, was shocked about the tongue lashing he got from her. He wouldn't have thought Kate capable of such unfair behavior. He almost regretted his decision to say something, but he just couldn't forget the look on Tony's face as he left the room.

Meanwhile, Gibbs didn't have to search long. He found Tony a few feet away from the conference room door slumped down against the wall.

"Tony?" When he didn't get a response, he tried again. "Hey, Tony! Come on, speak to me!"

After a moment Tony looked up. For the first time in a very long time Gibbs had to try not to cringe. Tony's gaze was murderous. Where Gibbs thought he would find unbearable hurt, he found impotent anger.

"Tell me, Gibbs, what did I do to that person to deserve such treatment? Has she spoken with my father? He said the exact same thing the day he disowned me. How dare she speak to me like that! I didn't get this far in life just so Todd can ruin it. No way in hell will I let that happen!"

Almost as if he was trying to force Gibbs to understand him, Tony looked him straight in the eyes.

"When we go back in there again, I have to speak, Gibbs. I won't tolerate it any longer. She'll get one last chance and if she doesn't use it wisely, she has to go. You have to decide if you want this, Gibbs. I will not get overruled again. For you, that means no more head slaps in front of subordinate agents. Do you understand me? You'll have to treat me as your SFA at all times when we are on the clock."

For just one small moment, Gibbs looked at Tony. Never in all the time they'd known each other had he seen such determination in his friend. He almost regretted that this hadn't happened sooner. Kate didn't know it yet, but she was in for a hell of a ride. With that in mind, he answered in the most honest way he could muster.

"I'll have your six as you always have mine, Tony. We'll go through this shit together. If I have to let the head slaps go, then so be it."

For a moment he let it sink into Tony that he would stand behind him. Then he continued.

"Let's talk about how to handle the situation at hand. I know you want to speak up and I promise you that you'll get your chance, but first I'd like to hear what else Kate has to say. I think her angry thoughts have been simmering for a long time and now she can't contain them any longer. If there's more, we have to know it now, otherwise this whole shebang will be for nothing. Can you stay calm in there, or do you want half an hour before you join us again? I can give you a heads up afterwards, if you decide to wait."

Tony thought about it for a few seconds. He did know it would hurt like hell if Kate had more to say, and he had to face it, there had to be more. On the other hand, would he want to wait and show weakness again? Could he stay calm? He didn't think so, but he had to try.

"I'll come with you right now. If I can't take it any longer, I'll leave to keep myself from shooting her. Is that okay?"

Gibbs was really glad to hear that. He didn't want to exclude Tony in the first place and now he didn't have to.

"That's more than okay, Tony. So, let's get over with it."

With that they went back into the conference room to get started on making things right again.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a great Thank You for all your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great.

**Warnings:** This chapter contains slight character bashing. So if you really love Kate, please skip this and maybe the next chapter. But bear in mind, this story isn't about bashing Kate but about Tony's confidence, so she will live. Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

Chapter 7

When Gibbs and Tony re-entered the room after approximately fifteen minutes, the mood could only be described as restrained. McGee looked angry, but also like he wanted to be anywhere else but here, and Kate looked rather annoyed.

After the two men were seated again, Kate was the first to speak.

"Do I have to say sorry to poor Tony? Or did he finally realize I'm right about just what a child he really is and that I would make the better SFA to your team? Gibbs, you know I'm no longer a probationary agent, so I can get promoted. And I really think it's time that happened. If Tony stays SFA any longer, the MCRT is bound to lose its reputation as the best team in NCIS." With that said, she settled back with a smug look on her face.

"Are you finished, Agent Todd, or do you have more to say about how I should run my team?" Everyone in the room could see Gibbs' barely contained anger, except Kate apparently. She looked way too pleased with herself and what she thought would happen now. When she didn't say more, Gibbs looked at Tony to make sure he was alright. He didn't like the blank look on Tony's face, but for now he had to bear with it. He really hoped that by the end of the day, Tony would be a little happier than he was now.

"So, Agent Todd, you think you would make a better SFA than Agent DiNozzo? Explain yourself."

"Well, for one thing, I don't goof off all the time like Tony does. I take the work we do seriously. I have a better education and worked at the Secret Service for three years before you selected me for NCIS. I don't know why you would let someone with a Phys. Ed. degree be your second, but now that I am here, you can have the experienced agent you need for the position of SFA on the MCRT."

With every word Kate spoke, Tony became more angry with her. He knew that she thought of him as a jock without real depth, but to hear that she thought of him as a dumb jock that could get his teammates hurt because he doesn't take his job seriously was almost too much.

For just one second he thought about the possibility of getting her fired by Gibbs without the last chance they had spoken about earlier. Then he thought back to when Kate had first started at NCIS. Sure, they weren't the best of friends, but they'd had fun, hadn't they? And of course Gibbs had to have had seen something in her that made him hire her in the first place. After those thoughts, he came to the decision to let her speak what was on her mind, and then he would tell her just how wrong she was about him.

All the time Tony was lost in thought, Gibbs studied him. He could see when Tony came to a decision, but what that was he didn't know. What he did know was that he had to do something, and fast, but he couldn't come up with anything at the moment, so he asked the one question he really would like to have answered by Kate.

"Agent Todd, when you started with NCIS, did you create a profile on any of us?"

After all that had been said, Kate no longer missed the fact that Gibbs had addressed her only as Agent Todd since he had re-entered the room. But Gibbs expected her to answer so she had to think about the meaning of this later.

"Of course I created profiles on all of you. I wanted to know who I would be working with, and from what I've seen so far I think I was right about most of it. Why?"

That was exactly what Gibbs wanted to hear. When he hired Tony, Gibbs had to dig a lot deeper than he would have thought at the time, and he hadn't found much. Almost everything he knows today came from the man himself. But Kate had done a profile on Tony, so she had to research his past and really look at everything she found. Maybe that was the root of all evil after all. If his assumption was right, she couldn't have searched very long, or very deep. If she had, they wouldn't all be in this room trying to mend something that he wasn't even sure he wanted anymore.

When Gibbs looked at Tony again, he could see the man had come to the same conclusion and was ready to speak.

"Because, Agent Todd, I want to know just what your profile said about me, that's why! So, please tell me, what did you find out?"

After the shock of hearing Tony speak instead of Gibbs, Kate answered rather indignantly. "Well, you went to military school at the age of twelve. There you graduated early and went to Ohio State with a full sports scholarship when you were sixteen. Why you would need one I don't know because daddy paid for everything, right? Or did you need the money for your lifestyle? Anyway, when you couldn't go pro because you broke your leg, you became a cop. You went to the police academy after college and after that you went to Peoria, Philadelphia, and Baltimore for approximately two years each. After Baltimore, you became an NCIS Agent. That was almost three years ago. So, tell me, Tony, did I get it right?"

Everyone could see that even now Kate was overly impressed with her own work, because to find anything out about the man had been very difficult. She hadn't found much until she enlisted the help of a friend who was a profiler with BAU, who had gotten the information for her, but she wouldn't say anything about that even if she was interrogated by Gibbs. When she looked up, she was greeted by amused looks from Gibbs and Tony and a look of disbelief from McGee.

Tony and Gibbs looked at each other before Tony began to speak again. "I'm impressed, Agent Todd, you've gotten every place I went to covered, but the major parts about my education you didn't get. So, let me enlighten you. First of all, yes, I went to military school and I graduated early. I could do that because I have an eidetic memory. So, well done, Agent Todd. I also went to Ohio State University with a full scholarship, but no, 'Daddy' didn't pay for anything. When I refused to go to Harvard to study business, he refused to give me anything. I had to work for a living throughout the first year. But after that I paid for everything with a small inheritance I got. I double majored for Bachelors' degrees in Physical Education and Criminology, and just for the fun of it, I worked also throughout my college years on one minor and got a Bachelor's of Fine Arts with specialties in music and acting."

By then Kate was stunned. Just why didn't she know any of that? If she had looked up, she would have seen the smug grin on Gibbs' face. He couldn't wait for her to hear the next part.

"The next thing you got right, Agent Todd; after I broke my leg in my senior year, I went to the police academy. After I finished I became a police officer in Peoria. Almost the entire time there, I worked the streets. Because of my work against a drug cartel, I became a detective within two years. But I also had to change cities for my own safety. So, I went to Philly. While there, I worked almost the whole time undercover, so I can't tell you more. Again, I had to leave because of the cases I worked. In Baltimore, I worked day-to-day cases with my partner until the day a rather gruff marine convinced me to work with NCIS.

"Throughout these almost six years, I've worked on my Masters' degrees. I got my Master's degree in criminal law barely five months after I started in Baltimore."

By now, the incredulous looks on the faces of both Kate and McGee were almost too much for Gibbs. He could barely contain the laughter that wanted to erupt.

Tony continued. "Since then, I've worked on my Master's degree in physical education and I got that degree almost three months ago. And ever since I started working in law enforcement, I've taken classes in foreign languages, and when I started with NCIS I also took classes in computer science. And now, other than English and Italian, I'm also fluent in Spanish. I'm still learning Arabic and Sign Language. And, yes, I'm good with computers. I just don't like it very much; it's boring."

With all that said, Tony stood and went to the door. Once there, he looked back and said one more thing. "And Agent Todd? Even if the President himself tried to get information about me, I would know it and would have to approve the things he could get. So, the next time you ask a friend for help, at least try and cover your tracks."

With that he left the room. For a few minutes he just stood on the mezzanine and watched his fellow agents, then he got his cell phone out and texted Gibbs where he could be found. Then he went to his desk to retrieve his badge and gun and went to the coffeehouse.

Even ten minutes after Tony had left the room, all Gibbs could hear was stunned silence. Neither Kate nor McGee noticed when Gibbs stood up. When he finally started speaking, both the younger agents looked as if they had just come out of trance.

"The next time you assume anything, Agent Todd, double check. You've dismissed Tony ever since we worked the Trapp case, and you never once tried to get to know him.

"From now on, you will show the respect both Tony and his position deserve. You will address him only as Agent DiNozzo. You will follow his orders and you will do it right." He then emphasized, "You will not talk about anything you heard in this room. Should you fail to do any of these things and I have to reprimand you, I will do it. Because most of the reprimands since you started with NCIS have been yours and not Tony's. He merely redirected most of it onto himself.

"And let's get one thing straight; I hired you because I saw potential, but in no way would I want you as my SFA. You are a trained profiler, Agent Todd, and as such you can't allow prejudice to blind you. But in all the time I've known you, you've been full of it. And until you can change that, you'll never be more than a junior agent. This is your last chance to get your act together, Agent Todd. I suggest you use it." The glare he directed her way made it very clear that he meant every word.

"McGee, you're dismissed. If you want to work with the MCRT again, keep in mind everything you've learned today."

Gibbs turned his attention back to Kate. "Agent Todd, you have one hour to get lunch, after that you'll continue to work on your case. Before you go home tonight, I want a lead." With that Gibbs turned and left the room also.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a great Thank You for all your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great.

Also a great Thank You for all guests who gave me feedback. I would have loved to answer you properly, but I can't.

**Warnings:** This chapter contains slight character bashing. So if you really love Kate, please skip this chapter. But bear in mind, this story isn't about bashing Kate but about Tony's confidence, so she will live. Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

Chapter 8

The next person who left the conference room was Tim McGee. He was just plain stunned. He'd heard things today that he never would have guessed. The greatest one would be about DiNozzo himself. The man known as the clown of NCIS was way better educated than Tim himself was. Who would have thought? And the way he went after his degrees.

Tim himself had stopped everything school related when he started with NCIS. Although he wasn't even a field agent yet, as Kate had so helpfully mentioned, he hadn't made the time or effort to learn anything new. He really thought his Bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins and the Master's degree from MIT were awesome, but his education didn't compare well with that of the SFA. And now he really regretted having stopped learning. Maybe he could change that. He would have to look into it when he went home for the weekend.

When Tim was honest with himself, one more thing bugged him about the difference in education. He was a little jealous about DiNozzo's eidetic memory. He could just read a book once and never forget a thing he read. What a way to go through college. That also would mean that DiNozzo was really, really smart. And maybe he had even the higher IQ of the two of them, and that was something that just happened in rare cases with field agents.

The next thought that came to Tim's mind was about the first case he worked with the MCRT. DiNozzo had started in on him from the moment they met. He had forced Tim to stay near a rotten corpse, though the agent knew what his reaction would be. And he remembered very well the almost arrogant behavior with which the SFA treated him and the way it made him feel. But then Tim also had gotten a first glimpse of DiNozzo's skills as an investigator. And when he thought about the few occasions when he saw DiNozzo work a crime scene or the way he questioned a suspect, he was really impressed by the man. He paid attention to everything, and so far just about every time he found something that turned the case in favor to the team.

The instant Tim came to the conclusion that Agent DiNozzo really was almost brilliant, he also knew that he would have to work damn hard and then some to be half the agent the other man was. And one thing he swore to himself never to do again, and that was never ever underestimate Anthony DiNozzo.

By then he was at the local deli to buy a light lunch before he had to return to the Cyber Crimes Division where he was on loan for the week.

* * *

When McGee left the deli with his sandwich he thought about the second thing he saw and heard that day, and that was Kate's behavior. She was almost hostile towards Tony, no, Agent DiNozzo. The entire time they were in the conference room, she had belittled and mocked the SFA. If what Kate had asked Gibbs, whether he meant what he said about following orders, was any indicator, Tim would have bet she didn't follow any order DiNozzo gave her, and that could get her fired faster than she could ask why. Tim would have really liked to ask Kate just why she did this to the team and her superior, but the hurtful words he had gotten from her earlier were fresh in Tim's mind, and that quelled the impulse instantly.

Tim also thought about the events that happened when Gibbs and DiNozzo came back from their little break. The way she attacked Tony and the assumptions she expressed. And even after you could see the hole Kate had dug for herself, she wouldn't stop. Tim had to wonder if she really was as smart as she tried to make everyone believe if she couldn't see behind the facade of a man she worked with on a daily basis. And when Tim saw her expression of disbelief when she heard exactly what Tony had to say, he couldn't help to ask himself if Kate knew the SFA at all.

And then it hit him. Did he even have the right to think about Kate this way? Because if he was really honest with himself; he was way more taken aback about DiNozzo than he should have been. That had to mean that he had gotten caught up in the exact same way that Kate was thinking about Tony. And he didn't like it one little bit. So, he planned to learn everything he could about DiNozzo, and just to be thorough, Gibbs also.

He just hoped it was enough.

The last thought he had when he went back to work made him really happy. The great Agent Gibbs himself had told him that he would work with the MCRT again.

* * *

Kate was the only person left in the conference room. She was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when McGee left. And every one of those thoughts was about the senior field agent. She didn't want to believe anything that had been said was true, but everything pointed to one conclusion. She herself was wrong. So wrong that she indeed believed Gibbs when he told her that this was her last chance.

She didn't know what appalled her more. That she so very much underestimated Tony or that Gibbs would never want her to be his SFA. But when she thought about it, she did know why he wouldn't want her, but to admit it wasn't something Kate would do voluntary. Even when she worked for the very first time with both agents, she instantly had thought of Tony as a pretty boy and a jock. She didn't take it seriously when he told her about measurements, even when he was right in the long run. He had poked her feminist side and she had lashed out. But if she was honest with herself, it wasn't his problem that she thought of everything as a case of sink or swim nowadays. Ever since she started with the Secret Service, she had to fight. Even her superior had thought very little about her skills as an agent, and that made her see red every time someone male tried to make her see things his way. But if Tony was that great an agent, shouldn't he have seen the way she would take his behavior? He surely could have found a more appropriate way to explain it to her, right? Actually, isn't it Gibbs' job to show her how to get the work done anyway?

Well, even if it was Gibbs' job, it didn't change anything about how she saw and treated Tony. That confronted her with the problem of just how she should handle the situation at hand. Even if she thought about Tony like the jock he probably was, that didn't mean she had to show it, because one thing was for sure, she wouldn't lose her job because Tony couldn't handle the truth.

What really rubbed her the wrong way was what Tony had said before he left the room. How could he have found out about her friend and the help she had needed to get information about him? Maybe he had all the degrees and the eidetic memory and was the perfect little agent, but he would have to have connections to people in very high positions to find that out. Maybe when everything was back to normal, she could snoop around a little and find out how he could have known all that. Maybe she could ask Abby for help.

Abby! If Kate had been a guy, she would have smacked herself on the forehead. The lab downstairs held all the answers she needed. Didn't Abby say that she was Tony's best friend? She had to know everything about the man. That thought brought Kate to her feet in a second, and the next second she was out the door and on her way to get lunch. She would get something for Abby, too. And she would even bring her the CafPow! that she loved so much. With her plan in mind, she began to carry it out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tony sat at his regular table in the back of Toni's Coffeehouse with a hazelnut latte in front of him and waited for Gibbs to join him. While he waited, he thought about everything that had occurred that day; the hurtful words and disbelieving looks Kate had shot at him, and most of all, everything he himself had said. Had he done the right thing? He had laid his life bare in front of Todd and McGee. What would they do with the knowledge? He was sure Gibbs talked to them further after he himself had left the room, and Gibbs would have told them to keep quiet about what they had learned. Would they do it?

Tony didn't think McGee would be a problem; he was too frightened by Gibbs to actually tell someone. But he wasn't that sure about Todd. Would she tell someone if she assumed everything to be false? Would she talk if she thought everything she heard was true? He just couldn't be sure. He just wished Gibbs would show up.

After 15 agonizingly slow minutes, the marine entered the coffeehouse and looked for Tony. When Gibbs saw him at his regular table with coffee but without anything to eat, he went to get coffee for himself and something to eat for both of them. When he had gotten what he wanted, he went to Tony's table and sat down.

Since Gibbs had entered Toni's, the SFA watched him. At first Tony was a little confused why Gibbs would just look at him and not come over. But when he saw Gibbs getting coffee and something to eat it occurred to him that they hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and that had been a little more than six hours ago. So when Gibbs sat down and set the sandwiches on the table, Tony shot him a grateful look and a slight smile.

Neither agent spoke a word and just began eating. The whole time they ate, Gibbs watched Tony and tried to gauge his mood. He had known that Tony would be withdrawn, but Gibbs really hoped the man wouldn't regret anything he said to Todd and McGee. Gibbs himself was really proud of Tony. He had been calm when Todd attacked him, and when he had spoken he didn't get ugly, which was something Gibbs couldn't say for sure he would have been able to do. So after five more silent minutes, he began to speak.

"You know, Tony, I'm really proud of you. You did everything right in there, and I for sure couldn't have done any better." With that said he waited for Tony to look at him.

When Tony heard the words he looked up. He wasn't so sure himself whether he had done the right thing or not. He just hoped Gibbs would understand it.

"I don't know, Gibbs. What if one of them can't keep their mouth shut and tells someone? I couldn't bear it if this ends like Peoria. I really like being your SFA and friend. I don't want to leave NCIS and start over somewhere else."

Gibbs really thought about just what Tony told him. He should have known Tony would be thinking about his first stint as a cop.

"I don't think that will happen, Tony. First of all, you aren't alone this time. I'll back you up, and I'm sure Abby, Ducky, and Gerald will, too. Even Morrow will speak up for you, because contrary to your old boss, he sure as hell knows just what a good agent you are. He really wouldn't want to lose you. I'm sure about that."

"You really think so? I for sure have my doubts. Not about you guys, but about Morrow. And let me tell you, and if you tell anyone I'll deny it and sue you, I'm scared about what will happen if anything gets out. Everyone will see me different. And I don't want that. I want to be able to joke with my colleagues and friends without them questioning every word I say. I don't want everything to change." At the end Tony's words were almost inaudible. All his insecurities and his self doubts came to the surface again. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would happen.

Gibbs had to think carefully about what to say. Just how could he save Tony from his own feelings and make him see the great person he really was? What bothered Gibbs the most was that Tony wouldn't look at him. It showed him more than anything just how agitated Tony really was.

"Tony look at me!" Gibbs waited until Tony looked up. The uncertainty Gibbs saw in Tony's eyes almost broke his heart. "Of course, I can't guarantee anything, but I really think so. And even if something should come out. The people we work with, your friends, they know you already. Maybe you didn't do it on purpose, but now and then you showed them just how smart you are. Think about how Abby and my great self found out about you learning sign language. You really shocked us then." That brought a small smile to Tony's face and an almost invisible twinkle in his eyes.

"You should have seen your faces. It really was funny. You know, I didn't even think about it. I saw you two talking about me and just signed that you should stop that because it was really rude."

"And you were right. We were rude. But the point is, after the shock about you knowing how to sign wore off, we were really happy about it. You showed us unconsciously what a smart man you are, and the only thing that changed is that you can be more yourself with us."

"You know, I didn't see it from that point of view…" By now Tony looked more contemplative than anxious, and for that Gibbs was thankful. So he went on.

"And I know for sure, with the people who know you, there will hardly be any change. They're your friends after all. They like you as the 'class clown' and they will like you as the 'smart ass'. And if one or two of them challenge you, I know you can handle it. You have the confidence to do so; you just have to find it again." With that Gibbs went quiet. Tony had to sort things out for himself, too. He just knew he would be by Tony's side through everything that might come their way. And if Gibbs had to tell him that again and again, he would do it.

"You know, I think I'm really lucky to have you. Nobody can make me see sense like you do. And this time without a head slap, too. Thank you." A smile slowly turned up in Tony's face. And it changed him completely. For the first time after the last strenuous weeks he looked almost happy.

Gibbs smirked. "I could still head slap you if you want. You just have to say the word."

That made Tony laugh out loud. "No, thank you. But I think we have to go back now. We've been sitting here for more than an hour, and to be honest, I'd like to know how Kate reacted to everything. I really don't think she will have changed in the one and a half hours we were gone, but if I want her to see me as her confident superior, I have to set a good example."

With that they both went back to work.

.

TBC

**A/N3:** I will begin to write about episodes soon, but of course I can't write about every one of them, so if you have a episode you would really like to read, please tell me. Thanks ;)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a great Thank You for all your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great.

Also a great Thank You for all guests who gave me feedback. I would have loved to answer you properly, but I can't.

**Warnings:** This chapter contains slight character bashing. So if you really love Kate, please skip this chapter. But bear in mind, this story isn't about bashing Kate but about Tony's confidence, so she will live. Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

* * *

Chapter 9

When Kate thought about the day, she had to admit it was the worst day since the day she was held hostage in autopsy with Ducky and Gerald. The 'team bonding session' in the conference room had been bad enough, but when she went to Abby with lunch because she wanted to talk about everything and ask questions, she had gotten a really rude awakening.

_**Flashback**_

_Kate went to get lunch in the local deli for herself and Abby; grabbed a CafPow! too, and went to the lab. If someone thought in the same way as herself, it had to be the forensic scientist. On the occasions they spoke about Tony, they seemed to be in complete agreement._

_When she entered the lab, Abby's so-called music greeted her. Kate had learned early on to never turn it off. So, she went to Abby and laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. _

"_Abby, I brought lunch. Do you have time to eat and maybe talk?"_

_Abby had to gather her thoughts for a moment before she turned to great Kate. Why couldn't her friend be as nice to Tony as she was to her? Maybe it was time to help her see what Tony so desperately tried to hide._

"_Hey, Kate. Sure, I have time. What did you bring me?" Abby really hoped Kate couldn't see the anger behind her overly friendly manner._

_The rather subdued tone in Abby's voice made Kate look at her friend._

"_Abby are you okay? Did something happen?" _

"_I don't know, Kate. Did something happen? And don't try to tell me you don't know what I mean, because I already know what happened today."_

_Those words made Kate contemplate escaping the lab as fast as she could. She didn't think she could take yet another speech about how great Tony really was. On the second thought, it made her furious. Just why couldn't she have five minutes of peace today? Everyone she worked with thought it a good idea to lecture her about her behavior and the way she saw a certain agent. Even McGee had the gall to tell her what she could or couldn't say._

"_If you don't want me here, just tell me. I'd rather go to the bullpen before I have to listen to another person tell me about the great DiNozzo and how bad a person I am." With that she tried to get out of the lab. Just one thing stopped her and that was a very angry forensic scientist._

"_Stop right here, missy. I have a question for you before you go. Did you listen to just one thing that was said earlier and did you think about just what was said? When you can answer that honestly, I'll show you the door personally." Abby couldn't wrap her mind around Kate's behavior. When had she become such a bitch? And more importantly, why on god's green earth did Kate treat Tony the way she did?_

"_I sure as hell can answer that. We get to hear just how great DiNozzo is; what degrees he's got, and that I have to change my thinking and behavior or I'm fired. And now I have a question for you, Abby. In what way is that fair? I am far better than Tony ever could be. Just because he has all those degrees, and I will check every one of them for authenticity, doesn't mean I'm not the better agent. He does nothing but play the clown all day, and when I call him on that he gets protection from everyone? So, he isn't even man enough to fight his own battles? Just why should I change anything? Tell me that, Abby!"_

_By the end of her speech, Kate was shouting at Abby. She just couldn't contain her anger any longer. After a moment she looked at Abby. She had shouted at her friend! From one second to the next Kate slumped down on the nearest chair, her whole body screaming defeat._

"_I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean to shout at you. Just why does everybody have to get onto me today? Do I deserve that? Tell me, Abby, am I that bad of a person?"_

_Abby struggled with herself. On the one hand she was angry as hell with Kate; on the other hand she wanted to help her friend. Maybe if she helped Kate now, she could help Tony in the long run._

"_Come on, Kate, let's get settled in my office and eat the lunch you brought. Then we can talk."_

_With that said, Abby grabbed Kate by the hand and dragged her towards her office. When they entered the room, she got Kate a chair._

"_Sit down. Now let's eat." Abby handed Kate one sandwich and took the other one for herself and sat down at her desk. _

_When they finished the sandwiches, Abby spoke again._

"_Now, let's talk. Tell me, Kate, why do you think today happened? And please really think about it. What could you have done to bring this on? And yes, you did something." When Kate didn't say anything for a few minutes, Abby tried to be patient and give Kate the time she needed to sort everything out._

"_I don't really know what I could have done. I mean yesterday I teased Tony about his dating habits, but that couldn't be it, a few other agents laughed, too. Sure, Tony looked a little hurt, but usually he can take as good as he can give. Maybe I shouldn't bring up Voss again, but other than that nothing happened yesterday. And today there wasn't anything either. I came in, went to my desk, and started my work. I was even extra nice to Tony because of yesterday. Do you know something, Abby? Please tell me if you do. I'm at a loss here."_

_Abby looked at Kate. Could an investigator and profiler really be that dense? The two of them talked Friday night about Tony's reaction to Kate's teasing about Voss. Abby told Kate, just as Tony had, how much the agent hated himself for not saving Chris and instead kissing his murderer. Had Kate really forgotten what they had talked about so quickly?_

"_Are you really this dense, Kate? Don't you remember our talk Friday night? I told you just how much Tony is hurt even today about Chris' death, and you thought it was funny, even after you promised me you wouldn't do it, to bring the kiss up again? To answer your question from before: Yes, you deserved it. And if you want to keep your job, you should really think about yourself and why you treat Tony like dirt. _

"_I don't want to hear if he reminds you of someone. Or that it's not fair that he's the senior agent because you are way better. Because you are in no way better than Tony! Think about it, Kate. He's been Gibbs' SFA for almost two years and an agent for NCIS for almost three years. Before that he was a cop for almost six years, and four of those years he was a detective. How many years have you worked in law enforcement? If I recall correctly the last time we spoke about it, you said three and a half years, right? _

"_And what have you done to improve your education since you finished college? You had training sessions to be a profiler. Tony, on the contrary, finished two masters' degrees and has been learning languages for a living ever since he left college. So, Tony is more than five years your senior in law enforcement and continues to improve himself with everything new he learns._

"_So, tell me again, Kate, why are you the better agent? … You can't. It's as simple as that." _

_When Kate said nothing, Abby went on. "I want you to leave now. When you want to keep your position on the MCRT and be my friend, you'll think about everything you've heard from Tony, Gibbs, and me. And when you've thought about all that, either resign or make amends. You don't have any other options." With that Abby left her own office and after a moment Kate went back to work, her mind full of everything Abby had said._

_**End Flashback **_

What Abby said had made Kate thinking, more than anything that both Tony and Gibbs had told her. When she came back from Abby's lab the bullpen had been empty. She didn't ask herself where her two colleagues were. On the contrary, she was happy to have a few minutes to herself to sort everything out.

When Gibbs and Tony had come back, Kate hadn't accomplished anything, but she had gotten herself together so she could work again. The entire time she and Tony had worked on their cold cases, they didn't speak to each other. When quitting time came around, Tony went to Balboa to speak with him about the lead he found for the cold case he had worked that day, and with a short 'Bye' he was gone. When Kate heard the agents talking, she could feel jealousy creep up on her. How could Tony have found a lead so soon when the only thing she had done today was read the case notes over and over again? Because she hadn't found a lead on her cold case, Gibbs made her work an extra hour. When even at six and without Tony around, she hadn't found a thing, he took pity on her and sent her home.

So now, here she was two hours later with her mind spinning around everything that had happened today. When she had come home and after she had changed clothes and brewed some tea that actually calmed her nerves, she went to the couch, settled back, and pondered whether she should call her sister or not. Ever since her sister went for a degree in psychology, she was Kate's first choice when she needed someone to talk with, to sort things out. But on the few occasions they spoke about her work at NCIS and the SFA, her sister wouldn't want to help her and would just say she had to overcome the prejudice she had about Tony. The last time they had talked, Kate had tried to argue with her sister that she didn't know Tony the way she did, and there wasn't any prejudice, just facts, but her sister wouldn't listen to her.

With that in mind, Kate decided against calling her sister and instead thought again about everything Abby had said to her. Kate just couldn't believe she had gotten under Tony's skin that much with anything she had said about the kiss, but when she recalled just what Abby had told her about his feelings and then thought about the hurt she could see in Tony's eyes every time she teased him about the incident, she admitted to herself for the first time, that maybe everything that had happened today was her fault.

When she thought about the last three weeks, and when she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she had felt really good to get one over on Tony. Before all that started it was Tony who got one over on her every time they started teasing each other. But when she was brutally honest with herself, it didn't hurt when Tony teased her. Sure, he poked her at just the right places to get a reaction out of her, but it really didn't hurt her. It just rubbed her the wrong way.

When she thought about all the teasing, one thing entered her mind that didn't before. To find all of her trigger points every time, he had to have very good people skills. Even Kate, a trained profiler, wasn't that good at reading people. Before the jealousy could creep up again, she thought about how Tony treated people.

With his friends and most of the agents, he played the clown. And to be honest, everyone from the janitors to the director seemed to like him. She had yet to find anyone in the agency who didn't. But on the few occasions she had watched Tony with witnesses or victims, she had to admit that he was completely professional and friendly. But what came to her mind every time she thought about Tony at work was his behavior with suspects. Just like with her, he got under their skin without any effort. Just about every second suspect ended up shouting everything they had done at him, because they were at their wits' end. The other half spilled everything and bragged about it, because they thought he couldn't do anything to them. Until today, it hadn't occurred to Kate that it was exactly that kind of behavior that got them everything they needed to close cases successfully.

After all the things she had thought about, she at last admitted to herself that maybe she really had underestimated Tony by taking him at face value. Maybe she should have really tried to get to know him. And maybe the fact that she had needed help to create a dossier about him should have had advised her to look at the man himself. That thought made up her mind. Beginning tomorrow she would try and get to know Tony. She would treat him with the respect a superior deserved. And she would look at everything with fresh eyes.

Happy with herself about her decision, she went to bed.

* * *

At the same time Tony found himself slumped on the couch in Gibbs' house with a bottle of his favorite brand of beer in hand, with the former marine sitting beside him in almost the same position. The steak Gibbs had made him had been perfect, as always, and now he had the feeling he could sleep for a week.

When they had returned to the Yard from lunch, Morrow had called Gibbs into MTAC, so he couldn't be there for Tony should something happen. So, just before Tony would have actually fallen asleep, Gibbs began to speak.

"So, tell me, Tony, how was the afternoon? Did anything happen while I was gone?"

When Tony recalled the afternoon, he was quite happy about it. Kate hadn't said a word the whole time, and he had found a lead for his cold case, which Balboa would hopefully close soon enough.

"You know Gibbs, after the morning we had, I would have thought the afternoon would be just as bad, but nothing happened. I found a lead Balboa will follow tomorrow and Kate was alright. I don't know what happened while we were gone for lunch, but she didn't say one word. Sure, she didn't even say goodbye, but that I can live with. How was MTAC?"

When Gibbs found nothing in Tony's eyes that would have shown him if the man was hiding anything, he spoke again.

"MTAC was a waste of time, as always. I know Kate went to Abby for lunch and didn't hear quite what she would have liked to hear. That would explain why she was so quiet. What did you find out about the case?"

"Well, there was a neighbor who wasn't properly interviewed the first time because he told the cop who started the investigation he wasn't in town at the time of the homicide. I could disprove that. What do you mean Kate didn't hear what she liked from Abby?" Tony was instantly fraught. What would Abby have told Kate for her to be so quiet?

Gibbs watched Tony the whole time he was talking. He did know that after everything that happened, Tony would question every move from everyone. And he had seen the change in Tony's body language instantly.

"Calm down, Tony. Abby told Kate the same things you told her earlier in the conference room. And I said it before, Abby will back you up. So, nothing to worry about for now! When Kate comes around and actually says something again, we'll see how it went in the lab. I could only talk to Abby for a minute because she had lots of evidence to work through, but she ordered me to tell her best friend ever to, and I quote, 'stay calm and stop worrying about everything'. So, do as she says and stop thinking about it."

When Tony didn't say anything and just smiled at him, he went on. "Do you want to crash here again? It wouldn't bother me, you know that." Gibbs had to quell the hope that started to rise in him. It would be too easy for him to get accustomed to Tony's presence in his house. And regardless of that, he still was disappointed when the man refused his offer.

"You know, Gibbs, maybe it's better I go home now. I don't want to keep you from your recovery time with your boat. And sooner or later I have to go back to my apartment anyway." Tony really wanted to stay, but he was afraid that if he used Gibbs too often as his personal psychologist, their friendship would suffer. He got up and slowly headed for the door, Gibbs in his wake.

On the porch he stopped again. When he turned to Gibbs to say goodbye, he almost came nose to nose with the man. He hastily took a step back. Gibbs had to smile as Tony actually had blushed slightly when he retreated, and he really thought it was a good look on him.

"Good night, Tony. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow. Good night, Gibbs." With that said, Tony got into his car and drove off.

For just a moment longer Gibbs stayed on the porch and looked at the stars. If he had believed in wishes, he would have known exactly what he would have wished for. But he didn't believe in such things, so he went back in and straight down to his basement for one or two hours of wood working before he headed to bed.

The whole time Tony was driving home, he thought about the smile Gibbs had shown when they had stood there on the porch. He just hoped Gibbs hadn't seen him blush. When he got home he took a quick shower and then went to bed. The day had been emotionally exhausting after all. The last thought before sleep claimed him, was again about a smiling Gibbs.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a great Thank You for all of your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great. And I'm really sorry I didn't answer everyone who reviewed, but real live didn't like me that much the last few weeks so I hadn't have time for it.

**Warnings:** Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

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Chapter 10

It was Saturday early afternoon when Tony got home with two bags from the nearby grocery store. He wanted to cook with Abby on Sunday, so he had done some shopping. While he put everything away, he thought about the week. After the horrible Monday and the emotionally exhausting Tuesday, he had to admit the rest of the week had gone really well.

After the cold case he had given to Balboa and his team with a new lead on Tuesday, he had one more case transferred to another team with actually two new leads. Balboa had closed the first case late Wednesday night. The lead had turned out to be the right one and they had booked the neighbor after he finally spilled his guts. The second case turned out to be a joint venture with the FBI, and Tony thanked god that the MCRT wasn't involved. Fornell actually was a good friend, not only to Gibbs but to him, too, but sometimes the feebie just didn't know when to shut up.

* * *

On Wednesday morning, he had been rather anxious about what would happen at work. He had gone in a little earlier, just to make sure he would be the first to get there. Sure, he didn't beat Gibbs, but that was okay. After he had booted up his computer and took a new file from the cold cases, he had briefly spoken to Gibbs. The former marine had told him that he would be in MTAC most of the week. Apparently, Morrow had thought it a good idea, to use him as an advisor for a few more operations as long as the team was on cold cases. Tony had known that Gibbs hadn't been happy at all.

After Gibbs had gone to MTAC, Tony had gotten a CafPow! for Abby and went to the lab. He had hoped to meet with Abby before the day actually began for the both of them. The forensic scientist was already there, but they couldn't speak freely at all, because there wasn't only a whole lot of evidence to go through, but Balboa also. His team had made the move on the neighbor during the night, and when Tony arrived in the lab they had just come back with evidence, and the suspect already in interrogation. A little disappointed about the situation with Abby, but also a little proud about the case, he had arranged the cooking session with Abby for Sunday and had gone back to the bull pen.

Apart from that the day had gone really smooth. He had gotten back to the bull pen barely before Kate arrived. And he had been positively surprised by her behavior. She had greeted him politely with 'Agent DiNozzo' and didn't say much otherwise. They both had worked on their cold cases the rest of the day. His highlight had been the lunch break with Gibbs and Ducky. All of them had ordered in and for half an hour they had talked. Ducky had told him what he had already told Gibbs on Tuesday morning before the whole conference room thing. He didn't know for sure, but he thought that something had triggered Kate's blatant change in behavior towards him. And Ducky also said to not expect too much of a real change from Kate because it would take time for her to really see her errors. Tony had already thought that much, so he wasn't really surprised by Ducky's words.

When he had gotten back to work, he had seen a slight change in Kate's mood, but she hadn't addressed him, so he had let it go. When Tony hadn't found anything new on his case by seven in the evening, he had packed his things, and when Gibbs had come down to the bull pen for a short break, he had gone home. What had astonished him was that Kate had also worked till seven and didn't go before Gibbs had come down.

That evening he hadn't seen Gibbs anymore. When normally Gibbs would have come by with pizza or Chinese takeout, he had send a text (No, Tony wasn't surprised at all. He had actually been the one to teach his friend.) that he wouldn't make it, because some stupid kid had gotten trigger happy and Morrow and Gibbs had to save the op.

* * *

Thursday had gone by almost as well. He had found one new lead in the early afternoon, but because he had a hunch he had wanted to look further before he gave the case to another team. Gibbs had been in MTAC the whole day without any noticeable breaks. So Tony had gone down to Ducky again and had lunch with the ME.

After lunch Tony had worked further on his case. He had the feeling he had missed something, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. When he hadn't heard anything from Gibbs or Morrow by three in the afternoon, he had gone to the coffeehouse and bought coffee for Gibbs, Morrow and himself. With his excuse for going into MTAC in his hands, he had joined them for almost ten minutes for a short coffee break.

What had really shocked him was that Kate had approached him on the verge of quitting time to ask for his help on the case she had been working the last two days. Too stunned to say something else, he had promised her to look at it first thing in the morning. Shortly after their talk, she had gone home. In the time Kate had packed her things, he had sent a text to Gibbs, saying he was leaving in a few minutes. By the time Kate was ready to leave, Gibbs had come down the stairs. He had told Kate goodbye and then had waited for her to get into the elevator. When the doors had closed, Tony and Gibbs had spoken about the fake cold case Kate had gotten from them.

Tony had told Gibbs about Kate's approach and what he had wanted to do the next day. Gibbs had just agreed with everything and told Tony 'to do as he thinks is right, because it's also his teaching lesson'. After a few more minutes of talking about the other things that had occurred that day, Gibbs had to go back to MTAC and Tony finally had gone home.

That evening Gibbs had to stay in MTAC, too, because apparently the trigger happy kid had a highly decorated admiral as an uncle, and that had caused more trouble than anybody had wanted. Although Tony had missed Gibbs, the evening had become very pleasant. Liam Kincaid, a good friend from Tony's college days, and his investment banker, had called to let him know he would be in DC over the weekend. After half an hour to catch up, they had agreed to meet in a little Irish pub near Tony's on Saturday at seven p.m.

* * *

When Tony remembered about the phone call, he looked at the time and went to the bathroom for a quick shower and to get ready. He had hoped that Gibbs would join them, but Emily stayed with Diane this weekend, so Fornell would go to Gibbs' for bourbon and a little talk in the basement. As Tony got ready for the evening, he thought about what happened on Friday.

* * *

He had gone to the Navy Yard earlier than strictly necessary again, and when he had arrived in the bull pen nobody had been there. He had put his bag pack away and had gotten his workplace ready. Then he had fetched the real case file for Kate and had laid it on her desk with a note that had said to read it, they would talk about it afterwards if she wanted. Next, he had gone to the lab with a CafPow! to talk for a bit with Abby, but she hadn't been there, so he had put the beverage on her desk in the office and had gone to the morgue. Once there, Ducky hadn't had time to talk much because he had to go to a crime scene with Balboa's team. So, Tony had let the ME get ready and had gone back to the squad room.

When he got there, Gibbs had been there, if just for a short while. They had talked about their plans for the weekend and had then decided to meet for pizza, beer and a movie in the evening because they both had different plans already. Just when Gibbs had gone to MTAC, Kate had shown up, so Tony had started to work.

He really tried not to, but every ten to fifteen minutes he had looked up towards Kate. At first she had seemed happy about the file, but each time he looked she was more furious than the time before. When he had looked up at around eleven thirty, Kate had been gone. He had felt slightly uneasy about it, but he told himself he could handle everything Kate could throw at him when the time came.

By noon, Tony had found a second lead to his cold case and after reading the file again, had went to Johnson and his team to hand it over. After they had spoken about everything Tony had found, he had gone to get lunch. He had met Balboa at the deli and had decided to spend his lunch break with the agent. Balboa then had told him about his case from the morning. As it had turned out, it had been a natural death with perfect evidence to back it all up.

When he had returned to work, Gibbs had been at his desk. They had just looked at each other and had gone to the back elevator. On the ride down to the lab, Gibbs had told him just why Kate hadn't been at her desk for the last few hours. She had gone home. And she had taken the file with her. In the lab he had listened, a little stunned, to Abby's explanation about what had happened in her office. She had told him about the anger Kate had shown when she had first arrived and then the disbelief when they had talked. But she also had told him about the shame Kate had shown when at last she had understood why Gibbs and Tony had given her the case in the first place. Tony had listened to all of that and had almost felt pity. Almost! He just hoped that Kate would really take it the way it was meant. He also didn't know what to think about her early escape. He had planned for them to talk about the case, what had lead him to his hunch, and also about why Kate couldn't resolve it, but now he had to wait until Monday.

After the meeting in the lab, he had gone down to the gym for a little work out before he had to get back to his desk to write his reports about his cold cases. He had sent Gibbs a short message about what he had planned to do and that he would wait for him. And so he did just that.

The evening with Gibbs had been great. They had gotten to Tony's apartment by seven p.m. with beer and pizza. After they had settled on the couch, they had watched 'Taxi' from '98, and they had a really good time.

* * *

Tony had to laugh when he thought about the faces Gibbs had made when they had watched the movie. Sure, it hadn't been the best film ever, but it had definitely been fun. While Tony thought about Friday evening, he looked at the time and decided to walk to the pub rather than take the car, because it was just half past six. Maybe he would get the opportunity to talk with Daniel Brady, the owner, or his wife Rebecca before Liam showed up.

* * *

When Tony arrived at _Brady's,_ he could see that the pub was already half packed. So, he went in and to the bar and decided to stay there until Liam showed up. Behind the bar, not only Daniel worked, but also his beautiful wife of 20 years. When Tony came in, they both smiled at him. So, Tony grabbed a stool and sat down at the bar.

"Hey Daniel, hey Rebecca, how's life?" He showed his mega watt smile already. Those two were the best example just how a marriage should be. They were married for 20 years, had three kids and still loved each other dearly. The whole family reminded him of Ducky. They would always call him 'Anthony' no matter how often he told them not to.

"Anthony, long time no see. Where were you? That boss of yours didn't give you a break?" Daniel watched him closely. Tony looked a little worn, but he had seen worse from the kid in the two years they had known each other.

"Nah, he isn't to blame. A couple of really stressful weeks is all. But let's not talk about work. How are the kids? Anything new I don't know yet?" Tony hadn't seen the kids in a long time. Since the twins went to college a year ago, they didn't work in the pub that much anymore. And the baby girl had also gone to college this year.

This time Rebecca spoke. "Andrew and Matthew are both doing really well. Andy wants to go into law enforcement. Yes, he got the idea from you, Anthony, so stop the smug grin. Matt wants to be a vet." With a rather stern look she continued. "And Emma wants to be a lawyer, of all things."

Tony looked really shocked about the last statement. "Why would such a sweet little girl wants to be a lawyer? She could be anything she wants for god's sake! So why a lawyer?"

"Well Mr. NCIS special agent, she also got that idea from you." The look Daniel shot him could have been described as pure anger, if there hadn't been a twinkle in his eyes which told Tony his friend wasn't that upset about it.

"From me? No way! Nuhu! I would never tell your baby girl to join the dark side. Never ever! You can't blame me for this." Tony protested anyway.

"Well, my friend, she did get this from you, whether you like it or not. She spoke with Andy earlier this year and when he told her his plans, she apparently thought about it. When she told us, she said that law enforcement would be great, but she hated guns so wouldn't want to carry one."

When Tony heard that he had to smile. "Smart girl you both have. So where is she? I would have thought she would be here on a Saturday to help out?"

That put a sad look on both of their faces. Rebecca told him why. "She lives on the campus and doesn't come home that much. You know she went to Harvard, right? I really had hoped she would stay in DC, but when she was told she could go to Harvard, she was gone, just like my boys."

The sad looks on their faces almost broke Tony's heart. When the boys moved out, it had been bad, but with all three kids gone, they had to feel almost forlorn. Before Tony could think about what to say, Daniel spoke again.

"Well, we have new help for the pub, and you never will guess whom we got. When I told him that our kids were all gone to college, he asked me about the pub and if we would want help. So, for the last two months, he's lived with us and worked here." When Daniel told him, his face lit up with happiness, so Tony thought it had to be family.

"It's one of your brothers, right? Is it Craig? Or Ian?" Tony had met both of them over the years and had liked them right from the beginning. They both were just so much like Daniel. How could he not?

"You're right, it's one of my brothers. It's Craig."

"Hey, that's great. But if he works here, where is your lil' bro tonight? Shouldn't he be here?" Just as though he heard Tony, a six feet nine redheaded giant showed up behind Daniel. At first Tony felt shocked by the sight, but then he recognized Craig. The guarded smile on Tony's face broke out to full blast. With a voice as deep as his figure promised, Craig began to speak.

"Anthony DiNozzo, it's nice to meet you again. When Daniel told me you hadn't shown up for a while now, I thought for sure you had found another pub. Where have you been?"

"Well, my friend, first of all I wouldn't go to another pub, even if my life depended on it, but I had to work. So, what's with you? Do you plan to stay, or are you here for good? The last time I spoke to him, Daniel told me you worked at the high school in your home town as the coach. That's not exciting enough for you anymore?" Tony didn't want to talk about his work, so he hoped Craig would take a hint and not ask about it.

Craig thought about it for a minute. "I actually plan to stay in DC. Now that my niece and nephews have flown out of the nest, I try to help where I'm needed. So, now I'm here. If and when Daniel and Rebecca don't need me anymore, I'll go back to teaching sports, but here in DC. What's with you? You alone here tonight or do you have a date?"

"If you consider my former frat brother and now investment banker a date, then yes, I have a date." Liam chose just this moment to show up.

"Well, Tony, ten years ago I would've felt flattered, but we both know what my wife would do to me if this was a date, especially with you, so I have to decline."

Tony turned around with a hurt look on his face. "What do you mean 'especially with me'? What's wrong with me? Just so you know I'm a really great catch!" After a moment, he began to smile again. "Liam, it's so good to see you. By the way this is Daniel's little brother, Craig. Craig, this is Liam Kincaid."

Liam looked at Craig. "Little, huh? I have to trust you with that. It's nice to meet you though." After they shook hands, Liam sat down next to Tony at the bar.

"Now that your not so real date is here, what do you two want to drink?" Craig asked.

Craig and Tony had to smile at that and both ordered beer and fries to start off. After he came back with everything, Craig had to get back to work, as since Tony had gotten there, the place had become really packed.

Tony and Liam talked for over an hour about the time they hadn't seen each other and their other friends from college. For a while they sat at the bar, but when they got the opportunity they took a table at one of the windows.

"So, tell me, Tony, what's with your co-workers? You haven't told me anything about them either on the phone or here. So, what happened? Have you quit again?" Liam had asked himself since Wednesday just why Tony hadn't wanted to tell him what's going on at NCIS.

Tony had successfully avoided all talk about work the entire day, but it seemed Liam hadn't received the memo, so Tony answered with anger clouding his voice. "Shit, Liam. That's what happened. The whole friend-with-your-co-worker thing blew up in my face. I told you about Kate and her attitudes, right? Well, she just took it to a whole new level over the last few weeks, so I stopped it. And it wouldn't take too much to just get her fired." At the end he almost shouted.

Liam was shocked to say the least. He had expected gruesome cases or Gibbs on the warpath and Tony on the verge of exhaustion for weeks, but he wouldn't have thought Tony would get this livid while just speaking about it.

"Hey, man, calm down. I didn't mean to get you all riled up. What the hell happened since the last time we saw each other? Did Gibbs call out the anarchy within the team?" Liam had noticed with every phone call they had, that Tony talked more about the team leader. He just hoped Gibbs deserved such loyalty.

Tony really hated to speak about the whole mess again, but he did it anyway. And maybe it was a little more to protect Gibbs than to get it out of his system. After almost 20 minutes he ended with words of defense. "But this has nothing to do with Gibbs at all, so zip it, Liam. On the contrary, he helped me to clearly see what to do about her. And when we go back on rotation on Monday, we'll see whether she's worthy to stay on the team or not. And now it's time to change the subject. I don't want to talk about it anymore." With the last statement, he fell silent.

"Okay, fine with me. Did you get the papers I sent you?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, I got them. I think it sounds fine, but when I do this, I want it to be as safe as possible. Just as usual. I don't want him to get suspicious." Tony looked slightly concerned.

"I know, Tony. I already spoke with Steve. You know he's watched him since I started to buy little bits and pieces. So far, Senior hasn't noticed a thing about any of the purchases. And I just buy every time he needs money, so he's occupied with other things. This time will also be the last one for a while, because everything we don't have is too close to the main concern, so we won't touch it for now. When you tell me to buy, you'll have the majority of the Paddington side in your hands. Everything he tries then will be fruitless. Steve has already prepared the contract. As usual, the minute he agrees, it's yours." Liam watched Tony with interest. "What will you do with it afterwards? Will you sell it to someone or give it back to your mother's family?"

Tony thought about it. Ever since he took notice of his father's problems when he was in college, he set it up so he could buy the part of Senior's enterprise that was once in the Paddington family. In the beginning, Tony just wanted to save it from more corruption, but since college he talked a lot with his Uncle Clive, and the man had told him to do with it as he wished, because the Paddington family didn't need it and Clive thought it right for Tony to have a little of his mother's inheritance. And because Senior just wanted the fast money, he sold everything he could afford to for nothing but what he needed at the time.

That brought Tony to the problem at hand. He actually didn't want to run it, but he knew he didn't want to sell it, either. "You know, Liam, my mother's family doesn't want it and I don't want to run it, but I don't want to sell it, either. I thought that maybe I get a director who can lead it in my name. He could do what I don't want to do. What do you think?"

Liam looked at Tony for a moment. He never understood Tony's fixation on this. He never was a business man, but bought a business. He loved law enforcement and wouldn't want to leave NCIS. So, Liam was impressed that Tony didn't want to sell. He could have made a whole lot of money without his father ever knowing. And even if Tony didn't want to sell, Senior never would see what hit him.

"You know, Tony, this is a great idea. Do you want me to help you search for a director? Because if you do, I already have someone in mind! She would fit real well in this business, has already had experience with your father, just from far away, so don't worry. And she is immune to his charm, so he can't overrule her."

Tony smiled at that. "You seem to have thought about it already. Let's get the last buy over with before we do more. But keep her in mind, because I will definitely want to meet her later on. She beautiful?"

"Oh, yeah, she so is, but also way out of your league and mine. So don't even try it."

With that said their conversation turned back to more pleasant topics for the rest of the night. At one in the morning they decided to leave. Liam had to catch a flight home in the morning and wanted to sleep a little bit beforehand. They would talk again after everything was under wraps with the family business of the Paddingtons. But for now, Liam went to his hotel near the airport and Tony went home.

* * *

Sunday morning came way too soon for Tony, but he just thought about his cooking session with Abby today and got his day started with a smile. He went into the bathroom for a short stop and then put on his running gear and headed out. He would take the long route today mainly because it was more fun, but also because on work days he usually didn't have the time.

When he ran by the little bakery at the corner of his street on the way home, he decided to grab a few little baked goodies for breakfast and went home. There he put the bag with his breakfast on the kitchen table, started the coffee and went for a shower and a change of clothes.

Breakfast was really homey with the little baked wonders, the coffee and the morning paper. He sat almost two hours at his table before he finished it. After that, Tony began to clean up a little. He didn't have to do much these days. Ever since he hired a cleaning lady to do the unpleasant chores, his apartment had been really tidy. For the last half a year, she just would come by once a week, but there wasn't that much to do, so Tony didn't change it.

* * *

Abby was there early afternoon. Although he had told her to just bring herself, she brought dessert with her. And that was actually a good thing, because he forgot about it. For the first two hours give or take they put together a three-course meal and talked about everything that happened, and for the first time since it all started Tony could speak about it without getting angry or feeling hurt. He felt as though it happened to someone else. Sure, he felt a deep disappointment towards Kate, but that's as far as it went.

Through dinner they spoke about everything new at NCIS. A few teams had gotten new probies right out of FLETC and Abby just loved to analyze everything they did and better yet, what they hadn't done. Tony had been excited about the possibility of getting his own probie, but when he had spoken with Gibbs about it, his boss had declined. He had told him they would have to get Kate straight before they could get a new team member, and Tony had understood, really. But a slight disappointment had been there also.

After dinner they cleaned up and set up the coffee to brew. The dessert Abby brought with her was a dark chocolate mousse and would be great with coffee. When they both had their coffee and dessert, they settled down on the couch to watch one of Tony's many movies.

Halfway through 'Goldfinger', a Bond film they both loved to watch together occasionally, they began to talk again.

"Tony?"

"Hm?"

"What's going to happen tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean with Kate. What will happen tomorrow?"

That got Tony to look at her. "Well, when I spoke with Gibbs Friday night, and we decided to talk with her first thing in the morning. I wanted to do this Friday afternoon, so we would all have a fresh start at Monday, but you know that wasn't possible at all."

"Oh, okay. And what happens afterwards? I don't mean cases, but with the team. She told me she got one last chance to get it right. Gibbs told her so on Tuesday. What will happen with her if she doesn't get it right?" Abby looked really worried about it, so Tony tried to be just as serious about it.

"The talk tomorrow will be about what happened last Monday, about the cold case we gave her and the most significant thing will be about the future of the team, what Gibbs and I expect from her and what she will get back, and also what will happen if she doesn't make it." With that he fell silent again and waited for Abby to speak.

"And what do you two expect from her? I mean, don't get me wrong, but will she get a real chance, or is she bound to fail?"

At first Tony got really angry but oppressed the urge immediately. It wouldn't get him anywhere if he started a fight with Abby. He knew she was just trying to understand his and Gibbs' motivation behind all this.

"I want to have a good team, Abby. People I can trust with my life in the field, but also trust with my life and my person. With Gibbs, Ducky and you, I have that. And at the beginning I also thought I had that with Kate, but what began as a little teasing between colleagues changed in the last few weeks, if not months, into deliberate cruelty on her part. She hurt me, Abby, really bad, and even after I told her to stop, she did it again. And I think that had a lot to do with her lack of respect towards me, because if you respect someone, you mind his feelings." Tony looked at Abby. He expected her to cut in by now, but when she didn't say anything he went on.

"You know the chain of command, Abby. You know I'm Kate's superior. And she learned that in FLETC, too, but she forgot. I wanted too much to be her friend and forgot to stay above her professionally. I made us even, but we're not. And for Kate to stay on the team she has to accept that, and especially respect my position. I don't expect her to do everything to please me, but I have to know that she'll have my back in the field, and that means she also has to follow my orders without questioning them because that could get someone killed. Do you understand that, Abby? I need to work with people I can trust and I don't want to leave the team or NCIS, so I have to change my behavior from the clowning friend to the serious agent so she can see my skills as SFA, and maybe even learn to respect me and not just my position."

After a moment Abby asked him the question that she wanted answered the most. "Tony, what will happen if she doesn't learn it? If she can't respect you?"

"Then she has to go. I know that sounds mean, but if she can't change it would mean one of us has to go, and to be honest, Abby, I will not give up my life and my friends and loved ones for someone who is still too new to matter much."

For a moment Abby thought about it, until she realized that there was nothing to think about at all. "You know, Tony, at first I didn't really understand it. Sure, I understood the hurt she inflicted on you and I didn't like it at all, but I didn't understand just how deep it went. What you told me just now showed it. That you don't trust her out in the field is a real big problem. And to be honest, I really don't know if you should. Trust her, that is. So, I hope with all my heart we'll be all friends again. But if she doesn't make it, it's her loss." Just for a moment she fell silent, but before Tony could say something, she continued. "I don't want to lose you, Tony. If that means Kate has to go, then I'm not at all sorry."

With that she almost crushed him in one of her bear hugs. After a moment Tony's muffled voice could be heard. "I hope that won't be necessary. I really hope we can all be friends again."

* * *

When Abby left for the night, Tony was really happy about the day he had. After their talk, they had made popcorn and watched another Bond film. And when the time came for her to go home, she hugged him so tight he thought briefly about begging for air.

Now, he was ready for Monday morning. He knew his friends would stand behind him. So, whatever happened, he would face it head on.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but a few DVDs.

**A/N:** A very big Thank You goes to my wonderful beta Arress. She does a really great job. Without her this story would be really awkward to read at times.

**A/N 2:** Also a great Thank You for all of your reviews and to everyone who follows or clicked favorite. You are great.

**Warnings:** Gibbs and Tony are OOC. There will be slash in later chapters, so if this offends you, please don't read any further.

I really like feedback, so please tell me what you think. Thanks ;)

* * *

Chapter 11

When Kate looked back at the last week, she had to admit, it could have been worse. Monday hadn't been bad at all, at least from her point of view. They had a case over the weekend and had solved it Sunday afternoon, so the only thing to do had been to write the reports. All the time they had stayed in the bull pen, they had had fun. Tony had bragged about a date he had the night before and when it had gotten too much for her to bear, she had put a stop to it by reminding Tony about Voss. And that little incident had defined the rest of the week.

She had already thought about Tony's reaction, and tried to be extra nice to him on Tuesday, but the moment Gibbs had entered the squad room, everything went to hell. First, he had told them they would work on cold cases, and all Kate could do was to bite her tongue and just say nothing. But when Gibbs had told them there would be a session later that morning in the conference room, she had had enough. The moment he had left, she had started to complain, more to herself than anybody, but DiNozzo must've heard her because he had told her to get over it and start working. That had been the moment her mood had gone sour, and because of his tone she followed the order without thinking from the moment the words left his mouth.

That had been her problem for the rest of the day. She had followed his order and in the aftermath hated herself for it, because let's face it, since when had she to follow orders from anyone except Gibbs? She had pushed herself into such a bad mood over the next few hours that when the session had finally started, she had lashed out. She had mocked and belittled DiNozzo, and to make things even worse, she had questioned Gibbs. Not even when McGee had said something had she stopped to think about what she had done. No, she had just lashed out again. The whole time when Tony had spoken she tried to think about something to say, but had come up with nothing but stunned silence. She didn't want to believe even half of what Tony had said, and she had made the promise to herself to prove him wrong, just because she wanted to.

The only things that had had an impact in her thinking the whole time they were in the room was Gibbs' speech about him not wanting her as SFA and this was her last chance. She had known in that moment that something had gone wrong. And that hadn't even been the worst thing that day. She could handle men with a superiority complex. No, what had been the worst thing was to be kicked out of the lab.

She had thought that Abby would be supportive, but that hadn't been the case. Sure, Abby had helped her to get back her equilibrium somewhat, but that's as far as it had gone. In the end, she had been told to just go and think about the things she wanted out of the people she worked with and out of NCIS in general.

Kate had gone back to the bull pen and had silently worked, or tried to work, on her cold case, but hadn't been able to concentrate much. Tony had worked just as silently, but he had found a lead by quitting time. Sure, she hadn't concentrated on her case much, but the things she had read had made her wonder just why on earth she had gotten that particular case. Even Gibbs had let it go cold because he couldn't find a lead on it. Why he had thought she would find something had been beyond her. After Tony had left for the evening, she had had time to read it more throughout and had come to the conclusion that there must have been a mistake about the case, because to her it had been murder-suicide. The more she read everything the cops had written and then what Gibbs and DiNozzo had written, she had come to the same conclusion the police had. The younger brother had murdered his brother and the fiancée from his brother and then had shot himself. Why Gibbs thought there had to be more she didn't understand.

All Wednesday morning, she had debated with herself to ask Abby for help, but had decided not to. But when she hadn't found anything by the afternoon, she had gone down to the lab. She had told the Goth that she had tried to make amends with Tony and Gibbs, but that she had to solve the case and that she would really appreciate Abby's help. So, Abby had told her everything she had found, basically everything that was written in the file. As thankful as Kate had felt about Abby's help, that didn't do much to solve the case.

When she hadn't found anything on the case by Thursday evening, she had swallowed her pride and asked Tony for help. She had seen his face. He had looked stunned about her approach. She had felt smug about it, but when he said he would look at it first thing the next morning, the feeling of relief had gotten stronger than the smugness. With the hope that she could eventually solve the case, she had gone home that night.

She hadn't been prepared in the least for the shock she had gotten the next morning. Instead of ideas of what she could try, she had found a case file on her desk. And it had held the whole case, not just the cold part, but the resolution of it as well. First she had been glad to be able to make sense of the whole case, but the more she read about it, the more anger she had felt. Why would they set her up in such a mean way? Why pretend the case had went cold, when they had actually solved it? She hadn't understood any of it.

She had been well aware of the looks Tony had shot her occasionally, but didn't react to them. The notion to just lash out at him had gotten stronger by the minute, and when she thought she couldn't stand it any longer, she had grabbed everything and had went to see Abby. Because no matter how angry she felt, she knew one thing for certain; if she lashed out at Tony, she would have been gone faster than she thought possible.

After a short explanation and Abby's permission, she had hidden in Abby's office for almost an hour. She had gone over the case and compared her notes to the final report. When it occurred to her that Abby must've been in on the whole set up, she again had wanted to lash out, and this time it would have been towards Abby. But before she did something extremely stupid, she had asked Abby if they could talk and had been slightly thankful that she had agreed. Sure, she had been angry, but it had just been on the surface. Deep down Kate had just been very confused.

The talk could have been worse in Kate's eyes. She hadn't lashed out at her friend and had listened instead. Abby had told her just how Tony had made the connection between everything on the case. The little tidbits, that didn't add up with the 'murderer', the circumstantial evidence that there had been a fourth person, the partial fingerprints. Everything the friend, who should have been there, had told the cops. That Kate, by the way, had swallowed as the truth as well. No, she didn't double check everything the cops had gathered as evidence; after all, they should know their jobs, shouldn't they? And so on. When Abby was finished with telling her about the case, Kate had felt really dumb. She had missed so much in the file that Gibbs had given her. In hindsight, she had seen it right in the little bit she had gotten, but nothing Tony had checked out had occurred to her. She had taken everything at face value, even the cops' assumption about the murder-suicide.

By the end of her stay at the lab, she had felt ashamed as well. Why she ever thought she was better than DiNozzo she no longer knew. She didn't even live up to her profiler training. And that had made her feel drained. After a moment of debating with herself about it, she had sent Gibbs a text asking permission to go home and to take the file with her. She had known Tony wanted to talk about everything and teach her a lesson or two dozen, but she just couldn't face him right now. She didn't really think he would say 'I told you so', but nonetheless she needed some time.

To her great relief, Gibbs had let her go, but he had also given her a warning. They would talk first thing Monday morning, and she'd better be there, because the talk would determine if she remained on the team, if at all. So, she went home.

The rest of Friday had gone by without further problems. She had gone to the grocery store to stock up for the weekend and had asked her sister for a visit. As luck would have it, Rachel had time on Sunday, because Saturday she had to attend a seminar on drug addiction that she couldn't miss.

On Saturday, Kate had tried to distract herself with chores and exercise, but in the end she had stayed up until past midnight studying the case and trying to make sense of her own errors in judgment, and not just about the case, but also about Tony. When she finally noticed the late hour, she had thankfully gone to bed. She could finally stop thinking and maybe the next day her sister could help her make sense of all that happened.

* * *

Sunday hadn't been that boring in a long time for Kate. She had gotten up a lot earlier than she wanted to, and even when she had done everything she needed to do as slow as possible, it didn't help much. Rachel wouldn't come by until the afternoon, and for now Kate didn't know what to do with herself. The urge to go over the case again was there, but she didn't give into it. She had already read everything and nearly knew it by heart. In the end, she settled on her couch with a book and read till her sister was due to arrive.

When Rachel finally got there, Kate was more than happy. Her book wasn't enthralling enough to keep her mind from wandering around in circles, and in the end she had thought about the last week and the case again.

At first they talked about the family and everything that had occurred in Rachel's life recently while they had coffee and a few goodies Rachel had brought. Kate wasn't that eager to talk about everything anymore, because the thought that Rachel would side with DiNozzo again wasn't that pleasant. But in the end she had to talk, and Rachel made sure she would.

"So, Kate, what happened that you wanted to see me on one of your rare Sundays off?"

At first, Kate didn't know how to start, but after a little debate with herself, she started with the Voss case. Everything that happened seemed to have started with the kiss. She told Rachel everything about the teasing, Tony's talk with her and his request for her to stop it, then the cold case and set up, and even her talks with Abby. At the end she felt a little better, but also drained again.

"So, you see, Rach, everything is going down around me. My job isn't safe anymore, just because Tony can't stand to be teased." With that she fell silent. She really hoped her sister would understand.

Rachel had watched Kate the entire time she spoke, and she had seen how stressed her little sister was. But how she could help her, Rachel didn't know. Every time they spoke about Tony DiNozzo in the past, Kate would block her by saying, she hadn't met him, so she wouldn't know.

"Okay, so, let me get this straight. You teased Tony about kissing the murderer of his friend every time he talked about his private life and when he asked you to stop because it hurt him, you teased him again. You even promised Abby that you wouldn't bring it up again, but you did anyway. Tell me, Kate, do you really think that's funny? Because I have to tell you, that isn't the case at all. You not only hurt a friend, but you found a weak spot on your superior and used it to mock him. You should really be glad that you aren't unemployed by now."

Kate looked at her sister and tried to see if she really meant what she said. When she saw her seriousness, Kate answered. "No, I didn't mock a superior, I teased Tony. I would never speak to Gibbs like that. And it wasn't about kissing a murderer, but a man. Don't you see it? Every Monday morning the first thing I hear is how good his weekend had been. How many woman he met and so on. I just wanted him to shut up. And bringing up Voss was a sure way to do it. And at the time it was funny, and even a few of the other agents laughed. So, why is it a problem at all?"

"Kate, you mocked your superior and when he told you in private to stop it, you didn't listen at all. What do you think he should've done? It would have been within his rights to reprimand or even fire you. And by the way, not just Gibbs is your boss, Tony is also. You told me yourself, he is Gibbs' SFA. That makes him your superior, like it or not."

When Kate didn't say anything, Rachel spoke again. "What's happened to you, Kate? Ever since you started with NCIS, you've complained about DiNozzo. What did he do that you don't like him or at least respect him? Is he a bad person or agent? Did he treat you wrong? Tell me, Kate, what did he do for you to forget not only your education but your upbringing as well."

For a moment Kate was plain stunned. She didn't forget her upbringing, did she? And why should she acknowledge Tony's superior position?

"You can't be serious, Rach! Tony is in no way superior to me. He doesn't take anything seriously. He always brags about this or that girl, he fools around the whole time and he never does any work. But in the end, he has everything Gibbs needs or wants, every time. He makes me so angry sometimes. I work hard the whole day to achieve something, and he always has the answers. He plays with his cell phone the whole time. He plays pranks on other agents. He wants to know everything. But he is SFA. He makes me really angry with his chauvinistic remarks and teasing me, but when I can tease him and have the chance to get one over him, the cavalry comes to his rescue. It's not fair! Why can he do whatever he wants and still be the perfect agent with all the answers? Why does everyone else have to work so hard for answers, but he just seems to know? It makes me so mad, you know? My position as the probie on the MCRT should have been temporary, but if I can believe Gibbs, this will never change. I mean my probationary time is over, but I'm still just the junior agent. I should've become SFA for Gibbs, but he prefers Tony. Why can't he see that I'm the better choice?" At the end Kate was shouting, again. This seemed to be almost normal. Every time she spoke about Tony, she got mad. And the look Rachel gave her didn't help any. She looked as if Kate had grown an extra head. And when she finally spoke it didn't help at all.

"Wow, Kate. You have a really big problem, little sis. You're jealous of his life, not only as an agent, but about his achievements as well. Do you really think he doesn't do anything at all? Why would Gibbs want him if that's the case? You told me yourself, they were a two-man team before you joined them, and it worked. Ducky told you that, right? Gibbs wanted you on his team and he got you. But why should he want you as the SFA? You don't have that much knowledge about field work. Sure, you've been in the Secret Service and you protected the president, but you went to a crime scene in high heels. You didn't know a thing about the work of NCIS. The status of 'agent' didn't prepare you to be an investigator. You're still learning. Tony, on the other hand, has been in law enforcement for how long? Almost three years for Gibbs, and he had been a police detective before that. Maybe he would never protect the president the right way, but he certainly is a very good investigator, and your mentor. You told me yourself, he has spoken about everything he did the moment he did it, when you started. So, he taught you everything you have to know and showed it to you at the same time. That is a great form of teaching. That is the way you learn the fastest, so you can be an asset to the team. What's wrong with being the junior agent for the team? It's the best team in the whole agency. And you should be proud to be a part of that."

Kate looked a long time at her sister and thought about everything she had said. Kate wanted to be angry with her because she hadn't seen it Kate's way, but she couldn't. Rachel was right. She was on the MCRT, the best team at NCIS, and Gibbs had picked her even though he had known about her mistake with her boyfriend. When she thought back to the beginning, she remembered the amused glances the men had shot her. She made so many rookie mistakes; the inappropriate footwear at a crime scene was just the first of them. She had never really thought about just where her knowledge came from, but now she remembered everything Tony told and showed her. Gibbs rarely made the time to teach her something new. Everything she knew about field work had come from the SFA, and she hadn't even noticed it.

When she thought further about what Rachel had told her about the jealousy part, she wanted to deny it, but again, she couldn't. Everything Tony did went well, and if he made a mistake, he always knew how to fix it. And then she remembered something she had heard from him. He has an eidetic memory. That's why it seems that he knows and can do everything. He simply never forgets once he learns something. A tiny little part of her wanted to be jealous, but she ignored it. Maybe that's why he has the time to play the pranks, goof off and just plain have fun the whole day.

By the time she reached this conclusion, she was really curious. She so wanted to ask Tony about it, but then for that to be possible, she had to stay at the team and be the best junior agent she could be. She would have to learn to not only show respect for her superiors, but really mean it, and the best way to learn how was to actually watch and listen.

"You know, Rachel, you're right. I have been awful the last few weeks. And I have to change it. I don't want to leave the team because I love the work I do. And I like the people, not only Abby, Ducky and Gibbs, but Tony as well. But how do I do it?"

Kate didn't mean for Rachel to answer that, because it had been a rhetorical question, but she did it anyway. And it was exactly what she thought also.

"You know how, Kate. Do what Gibbs told you to do and show respect for Tony's superior position, or even better, the man himself. Learn everything you can from both of them. See this week as a teaching lesson, and also learn from it. And the next time you want to tease Tony, make sure it's funny and not just mean." That got her a small smile from Kate, because there was one thing she knew for sure, the next weeks, maybe even months, would be really hard and she had only herself to thank for it.

"You're right again, sis. Thanks anyway. I'm really glad you're here. Maybe I had to hear it from you to finally see my mistakes. Beginning tomorrow, I will be the best agent I can be and follow the chain of command to the T. And maybe someday Tony and I can be friends and not just colleagues, because even with everything that went wrong in the past, I really like him."

Rachel smiled at that. "That's good, Kate. I hope everything will pan out for you, because let's face it, the men on your team are great, and I would really like to meet them one day." When Rachel looked at the time, she spoke again. "I have to go now, little sis. It's late and my first appointment is really early tomorrow."

With that she got up and went for the door with Kate in her wake, who was still lost in thought. They both said their goodbyes and promised to talk soon.

* * *

When Kate went to bed that night, she had to admit that her sister had been right once again. And tomorrow was a new day, and she would see to it that it would be good. Sure, there was the talk about the case and everything that occurred the past week, but she knew now just how to handle everything. She just hoped it wasn't too late.

TBC

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A/N: I know you all wanted to know what happens on Monday. It's in the next chapter, I promise :)


End file.
